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A breeder joyously hatches a riolu for a client. To the dismay of the hatchling, the client never returns to claim him. Faced with an abandoned pokémon, the breeder vows to find the riolu's trainer and family.(Better banner coming soon.)Current - Chapter 1: The Client.

I liked the end of chapter 14,yours chapter are awesome,keep up the good work!I don't know if it's me but some chapters just look too big,that might scare some readers,anyways it's awesome

Hope I helped,hope you have and had fun writing!

Wait, the size of the chapters make a difference? I've gone anywhere from 2,500 words to 8,000 words! The chapters always break at a predetermined place in the story, I don't think I could switch that around too much...

Originally Posted by Drippy Miltank

D'oh! I didn't notice.

"Suddenly" is another creeping monster. Seriously, if it was up to me, it would be in every sentence. "Blargh!" Lucario suddenly shouted, suddenly raising his fist in a sudden movement.

It's not even superfluous, it suddenly makes the sentence more engaging! Like spicing! Use it too much and suddenly only the brave can enjoy it!

For an instant Lucario felt like doing the same to his backpack, but his thoughts were interrupted as the other Lucario began moving towards him.

Needs a coma: "For an instant, Lucario..."

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

He could tell that they were the same from head to toe, with one or two minor differences that just barely separating them.

I think you can remove the redundant underlined section.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

The form of a Pokémon was not something he had gotten used to, but that did little to lessen the surreal sight of a slightly alternate version of oneself.

It should be "himself" for consistency with the "he"s in the rest of he chapter.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

Even their clothing was similar, although her shorts seemed to be slightly more detailed and in better condition than his.

I like the idea of Lucario's legs being actual cloth.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

However, Lucario noticed the giant spike sticking out of her chest, and sidestepped her instead.

Lol, hug of death. Even more so if you include those spikes on her hands.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“B-But…” she stammered as she took a step closer so he would see her better, “It’s me! Rukario! I’m your wife!”

Hey, Isn't that the way the Japanese would pronounce "Lucario"?!

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Grr… Not you too!” Lucario growled as he felt betrayed, “I told you! I’m a human! You don’t just get memories from amnesia!”

Hmm... If he felt betrayed => he cares about how weavile sees him => He wants her to think of him as single => he has feelings for her!

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Yeah!” Lucario responded quickly as he felt the situation turning in his favor, “No offense, but I could never get married to something like you!”

*gasp* He called her a "something", it's like a step from calling her a "thing". Too blunt Lucario! *waves finger at Lucario*

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“You always said that you wondered what it felt like to be human…” Rukario whispered

Foreshadowing ahoy!

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Ugh, won’t listen to reason…” Lucario mumbled as he shrugged to himself, “I guess being a typical woman goes beyond being human...”

Blunt AND sexist Lucario.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Please! Just… Just look at this picture!” Rukario pleaded as she reached into a pocket in the front of her pants and pulled out a small card with an image on it.

Snazzy. I wonder if there are Lucario department stores that caters to their short-wearing lifestyle.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

The picture displayed two Pokémon with their arms around each other, on a large field of flowers with some kind of mountain behind them. It was of high quality, so the faces of two Pokémon were visible and easily identified as Lucario’s and Rukario’s.

I like the idea of Pokémarts servicing Pokémon as well as human that you introduced in a past chapter. However, I wonder where Rukario got a hold of an HD camara. This make me wonder if she works and what her salary is.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

Zerobi, he was met with a face of both betrayal and anger.

Oh snaps! Maybe she likes him too?

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Cut the bullcrap!” Lucario said as he quickly pulled his hand away from her and started getting mad, “My heart’s my own, and I’d never… At least not with someone I’ve never even seen before!”

I was under the impression that he was already mad. If so change to something like "grew madder".

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

As if on cue, the door to the house flew open with a bang. Lucario became blinded by the light as several strange entities stormed in, and at the head of them was the lizard he remembered kicking in the head not long before.

I can picture Lucario about to ask:"Hey, aren't you that lizard I kicked in the head not too long ago?"

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Cyon, I can’t let you do this! I-“ Rukario shouted, but couldn’t finish as Lucario suddenly spun around and struck her across the face with the back of his left hand.

Did Lucario just pimp slap his wife?! tsk tsk Lucario. I say Rukario should slap him back.

“Unless that Cyon was a wifebeater, this should make you understand!”

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

She jumped over the collapsed Roserade and writing Kojofu

Should be "writhing".

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“… Never see it coming…” Lucario mumbled to himself before following Zerobi once more.

A breeder joyously hatches a riolu for a client. To the dismay of the hatchling, the client never returns to claim him. Faced with an abandoned pokémon, the breeder vows to find the riolu's trainer and family.(Better banner coming soon.)Current - Chapter 1: The Client.

Hmm... If he felt betrayed => he cares about how weavile sees him => He wants her to think of him as single => he has feelings for her!

"I swear, I was only feeling betrayed by her in the way a friend would! Drop that rolling pin!"

I like the idea of Pokémarts servicing Pokémon as well as human that you introduced in a past chapter. However, I wonder where Rukario got a hold of an HD camara. This make me wonder if she works and what her salary is.

They're are cameras everywhere in HG/SS, some human probably just thought the motif would improve if they stood in front of the view.

Oh, and Pokemon don't need jobs! They can just eat whatever nature has to offer, and sleep in caves! Explains why Zerobi skimmed through the job applications in her occult magazines... Also, because most of them were for "Applicant for a mysterious journey to the center of the earth required! Should know 'Dig'!"

Should be "writhing".

Nah... He was writing his requiem! The third Kojofu is a very talented musician, but can only gain inspiration within the heat of battle, and...

... Hah! April Fool! Like I'd really give the story such a stupid ending!

No, like I said, this story'll be a long one! We're not even a quarter through it! Now, let's get serious and start anew with yet another chapter of The Human Species! A true milestone of a chapter, even!

- - - - -Chapter 16

Remorseless Wraith Zerobi
- - - - -

(Warning: The following image might be scary, and might... No wait, it definitively contains blood. Anyway, view at your own risk!)

They were all staring at her. Some with fear, others with confusion. Lucario seemed to be one of the latter.

Nothing out of the ordinary. She had seen this look before. At long last she was showing her true colors, and this is all she gets? A dumb stare? What would his expression be like if she had cut the tendrils in his legs and left him out in the snow, where he would catch cold and die? How would he react if she slipped and gave him a push at the top of a cliff, sending his body to be smashed and broken against the unforgiving ground? She wanted to know, and for barely an instant wished she had not struck a killing blow so quickly.

Looking behind her, she noticed that nothing was the same anymore. Surely these meaningless bundles of life were not something she once considered to be friends! She had been betrayed before, she would be betrayed again. Seeing the faces they were all giving her, she knew this to be nothing less than a fact.

Which one would bring the most blood? Which one would bring the best? In her mind, she saw herself peeling the shell off the Kabutops to feast upon her insides, decapitating the Gallade just like the one from so many years ago and evolving the Pikachu with the Thunderstone before cutting his tail off. Lucario, Celebi… None of it mattered anymore.

In this haze of blood and pleasure, it seems that the only thing that remained the same was her. Her claws had the same form as they had always had, with the minor difference of being drenched in blood.

This sight, unlike any other brought back memories of her days in the Cerulean Cave, living every day to the fullest. To think that ever since so long ago, her claws had been clean! So much time had been wasted in the cavern north of Snowpoint City, sitting there all alone for years upon years, reading silly magazines when she could have easily been engulfing herself in the sweet nectar of life.

But somehow… Looking at her claws, positively drenched in what she craves and desires… Fills her with nothing but emptiness. The more she took them into herself, the less joyful she became. The claws that she had kept unsullied for so long had become corrupted once more, even after she had promised herself so many times that it would never happen.

Eyes fastened upon the blood feeding her, she began to walk. Walking away from the catastrophe she had caused. Walking towards salvation from this self-inflicted nightmare.

"Oi! Lucario!" the Gallade screamed while trying to stop Lucario from convulsing, "It's bad! He's a goner!"
"ZEROBI!" Kabuta howled in rage, stumbling to her feet with only one arm and running after the being drenched in blood.
"Let her go!" Pikablu shouted, "We need to free Celebi! She can help him!"

I can hear them chanting my name. All of them.

"Zerobi…!"

Screaming out for my attention… What they wish, they shall receive. Can that truly be a horrible intention?

"Damn… I’m sorry I got you into this."

…!

"Open up, damn you!" Pikablu yelled, pressing the large button on the black Pokeball as hard as he could, "It's just one damn button! How could this not be working!?"
"We don't have time for this!" Kabuta shouted with her left scythe brandished, "Move! I'll cut it open!"
"NO! You idiot!" Pikablu bellowed while violently shoving her away, "Be careful, you might kill her if you do!"

"Must be hard keeping the place clean with the constant stream of visitors you’re getting."

… You're here, too?

"… Yeah. I've got your back. You've got my back, back?"

No… No! But that means… You're…

"I’M YOUR ACCOMPLICE!"

… And I…

"P-Pikablu…?" Celebi asked with a confused stammer, "You-"
"Hurrah and huzzah, but we need some help over here!" the Gallade shouted, interrupting her as Lucario was starting to become too exhausted and stopped moving. His gaze became transfixed at Zerobi, somewhere by the edge of the horizon. He tried to inhale one last time, his eyes closing as he finally fainted from the lack of air, the vision of the dark figure imprinted in the back of his skull.

"I was just hoping that you’d be a bit more… Human."

It was supposed to be different! You were supposed to change me!

"What do you expect me to be able to do, anyway?"

All for blood… I didn't even want it! Damn it! DAMN IT! WHY DID THIS HAPPEN!?

The skin around Lucario's wound was thinning out as Celebi rearranged the tissue to cover up his throat. The blood had mostly soaked into his chest hair, giving it a red hue with tiny droplets on top.

"… Can you save him?" Kabuta asked slowly, surprised at how hard it was to tell if Lucario was dead or just sleeping. A short memory flash of the time she tried to sneak over to his sleeping area one night hit her, making her choke up a bit.
"Yes, as luck would have it I happen to be…" Celebi started before looking at her and seeing that something was out of the place, "… Kabuta! Y-Your arm!"
"Oh… Yeah" Kabuta said while waving her intact scythe where her other one used to be, "Damn, that hurt like hell."
"Your dad's gonna be pissed…" the Gallade mumbled with a more depressing tone than usual, "… At me, most likely."
"… I'm sorry…" Celebi whispered with sadly, looking down at Lucario's bloody front and hairless patches of damaged skin, "You went through all of this for me…"
"Just try to save him" Pikablu said, saddened by the fact that their victory was more bittersweet than he had ever expected, "It'd be a real shame if he died, he didn't even have a reason to be here in the first place."

A few minutes passed without anyone saying anything, Celebi finishing up her reconstruction of Lucario. Even so, hardly a moment after the air from his lungs reached his brain, his eyes shot open as he instantly leaped to his feet, startling her quite a bit.

"Cchhzz!" Lucario wheezed and surprised everyone, including himself as he clutched his throat.
"Don't talk!" Celebi said quickly, "Your throat is still recuperating!" He looked at her with an annoyed glance. His expression became more thankful as he began realizing that he had just been saved, but once again furrowed when more of the situation became clearer.

Rage inched through his being, steadily gaining strength like fiery fire. He turned around and looked in the direction that Zerobi had taken, seeing a mirage of her corrupted form leaving him to his fate. Never having been able to sense her aura, he knew that she would get away if she moved too far, and started running after a faint reddened path formed among the grassy plains.

"Wait, where are you…" Celebi asked with a confused voice before being stopped by Pikablu, who raised his hand in a silencing motion.
"Let him go" he said with a dark tone as he watched Lucario follow the trail of blood, "We have a lot to talk about."

Sitting on a large rock by the edge of a cliff, Zerobi gazed over the horizon. The sun was setting in the distance, casting the world into an orange hue of unnatural beauty. However, she was not able to appreciate it, as her world had long since turned into a never ending mist of red.

Her eyes began scrolling down slowly. It was a very tall cliff, and the rocky ground beneath seemed like it was miles away, like another horizon stretching down the vertical. One fourth of the distance of this fall would be enough to kill anyone. Remembering her past she knew that she had died before, but had afterwards been resurrected at the expense of the lives of many others.

She knew that would not be as unlucky this time.

More than anything, she wanted to cry. She wanted to cry over what she had done, she wanted to cry over who she was, and she wanted to cry over how in a short while she was not going to be.

But she could not. The blood was affecting her in a way where she could not revoke the pleasure, even though her very self was being crushed by self-loathing and guilt.

It's better if I don't pretend;
I'm living for a dream…
If I were you I could not love
Someone who was like me…

You and me
We had something in common, we
Both shared a melody
Like magic, you helped my world come alive
I felt secure by your side…

To think that what I wanted was
To spend my life my life with you
Even if I was pretending…
Could we have made it true…!?

All this time…!
I've been nothing but trouble, I'm…
Sorry for what I am!
I am a monster, remorseless, yet still…
See my tears flow
I guess I can feel after all…

Her sorrow overflowed as a single teardrop escaped her eye and rolled down her cheek. It was like a drop in the ocean towards clearing up her anguish, but this final show of emotion relieved her of grief as she realized what must be done. Leaning over the chasm, she knew that the only dead end was the one located behind her…

Lucario's throat's grouchy aching made him worry about the wound opening up, but felt that he would regret it even more if he did not hurry up and track down the creature responsible for it. His partner in crime, on the run from the long arms of the law… His mentor when it came to matters he did not understand… The only Pokémon he had come to trust since turning into a Pokémon had just cut his throat, without any doubt in an attempt to kill him.

The voices of the brown cat and smug snake echoed through his head. Finally, he was able to understand why they had been sounding so terrified.

The fight against the Garchomp had taken everything out of him. His legs were giving up, every strand of grass hitting them like beams of concrete. But even so, he forced himself to keep moving. He felt more like a fool than ever, and so he kept moving in the possible hopes of doing something right for once. The sensation of the blooded monster slashing through his throat grew hazy while his determination to track her down and finish things became clearer.

It was not long before they were reunited again. Zerobi heard someone approaching her from behind, not turning around completely but instead keeping her head stationary and letting the creature appear in the corner of her eye. She became shocked when she realized who it was and tried to look directly at him, but the guilt and despair intensified as her vision fastened the blood on his chest and forced her to look down instead.

"… You survived" Zerobi whispered slowly. Her heart lifted a little, but sunk once more as her gaze moved towards the chasm. She wondered just how horrifying this view would seem to her during the plunge.

"I didn't mean to do it, but…" Zerobi said quietly with a subtle shake of her head, "… It's pointless. I did it, I've done it before and I will do it again."
Zerobi's response was complete silence, yet she still looked away, feeling like her heart would be torn in two if their eyes were to meet.

"… Fear not. I will die now" she said with a pained expression, "You should forget about me and look away. It… Won't be pretty."
Behind her there was nothing but silence once again, sealing a wave of sorrow within her. Even if only once, she wanted to hear his voice before it all ended… But realized that she was in no position to ask for a favor. She knew she did not deserve it.

"… I never told you why I saved you that day, from Suicune…" Zerobi whispered sadly, wanting to give at least one piece of closure to her life before making the leap. She hesitated for a moment, but realized that if she was unable to do even this, suicide would be out of the question. Somehow, this manner of thinking brought her enough determination to finally say what had been pressing on her heart for such a long time.

"I have been alone so long… Even before all this, I never had anyone…" she said, a few more tears creeping down her face, "I… I thought you were… Pretty."

As the words escaped her, she knew there was no turning back. Never had she expected that this is how she would be giving her confession.
"Nothing else… Never… B-But… As time went on, I… I truly…" she continued, before abruptly stopping her monologue.
"… No…" she whispered sadly while biting her lip, "In the end, y-you were just another prey… Which is why I m-must…"

Fear and hesitation began filling her when she realized that the time had come. She had to do it now, before she could change her mind. But after taking her final step towards the edge, a moment of reprise struck her as she saw a vision of herself flying through the air, helplessly trying to stop herself to breaking against the very rocks she was now staring at. She hesitated, and simply stood frozen by the edge of the cliff.

Her worries were calmed when she heard Lucario walking towards her. With his help, she knew that the end of her life could not have been more justifiable. She wanted to say something, but felt that it would be better like this.
Just one little push… And this nightmare would finally be over.

She braced herself as a set of arms wrapped around her. Lucario stood speechless, his throat too damaged to speak. He did the only thing he could to comfort his partner, and hugged her close to his chest.

Zerobi gasped as she ended up going in the wrong direction, being pulled back instead of pushed forward. Not knowing what to do, she looked up at Lucario as if to scold him for stopping her. He had a stern look on his face, but could not help but smile as relief washed over him.

It was then that the sorrow, anger and despair all overtook her mind at the same time, and finally made her start crying for real.
She wailed as the two of them embraced with the sun setting in the background, leaving this long and trying day in its wake.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"... You again."

"Mewtwo..."

"Have you returned for yet another futile attempt at disabling my solitude?"

"I-I just came to warn you! You must not be aware of-"

"Silence. I am aware of everything."

"... You... You are?"

"Your worries are unwarranted and condescending. Begone."

"But... You never leave this cave, how can you know anything about what is happening on the outside?"

"... Pitiful original. Years have passed since I surpassed the feeble limitations you supplied me with."

"..."

"Begone."

"... Wait... If you 'know everything'... Does that mean you also saw..."

"..."

"... Deoxys...?"

"Indeed."

"...!"

"... I believed that my abilities were failing me at that point, however."

"Same here, and I saw it with my own eyes..."

"Quite the unexpected turnout."

"... So you knew about it, yet still you sat here and did nothing!? It would have razed the world without intervention!"

"You misunderstand."

"How!?"

"I did nothing... Because there was nothing I could do."

"You mean..."

"Deoxys was assigned the destruction of the world... And would have succeeded."

"... Tell me! Tell me everything you know!"

"I have."

"Will there be more in the future!?"

"From my current position, that is impossible to tell."

"... Is that so...?"

"Why not utilize your silly flailing above and find out yourself?"

"Come with me, then!"

"Never."

"You're so infuriating! Why must you keep yourself sealed in here like some angst filled teenager!?"

"... Last warning. Begone."

"Fine... Have it your way. I hope the rumbling from the world shattering does not disturb your meditation!"

"..."

"..."

"... If the need arises... I will come."

"... Mewtwo...!"

"But only if all other options have been exhausted."

"Of course!"

"Not to save you, only to preserve the world for my continued sustenance."

"Certainly!"

"... And should you call me 'gloomy' at any time or point, you WILL regret it."

Humanity has finally gotten fed up with their fragile position in the world of Pokémon.
Gathering the best of trainers, they have decided to subdue or dispose of every powerful Pokémon in existence.

In doing so, they tampered with forces better left untouched as they caught MissingNo, a being of pure glitches. Ravaging codes and transforming text into strange fonts, it must be stopped before it engulfs the entire world within its shenanigans!

Abruptly ceasing their celebration of April Fools' Day, a group of curious readers set out to the domain of this nonsensical being to get to the bottom of everything.

"Lucario… Don't…" Zerobi moaned weakly before suddenly raising her voice and pushing him away, "… D-Don't stop me! I have to die!"
"… You saved me once…" Lucario said quietly, the damage in his throat creating a disgusting sound behind every word, "… This makes us even…"
"Oh, for crying out…" Zerobi groaned at the cliché, "I almost got you killed. Don't you despise me?"
"… I'm the one who…" Lucario wheezed before interrupting himself with a cough, "… I'm the one who egged you on… Even after you told me about the blood thing… If I hadn't been so weak…"
"You have a funny way of seeing things… " Zerobi sighed while purposely pushing away any feelings of joy creeping up on her, "So… That's it? Lucario, I'm a monster!"
"… Monsters don't cry…" Lucario said confidently, "… Never kill yourself… Good things come if you live…"

The two of them looked at each other for a while, not sure of what to say. Lucario noticed that while Zerobi remained mostly the same, there were a few subtle differences to her appearance. The collection of pink feather-like hair on her head seemed more vibrant than earlier. Her skin was also in a different hue, but whether it had turned darker or more red he could not tell. Not only that, but the most important detail was nowhere to be found.

"… Blood's gone…" Lucario said after a while before looking down at the slightly shorter Pokémon.
"… Yeah, it's been absorbed into my skin…" Zerobi replied, wishing she could look away but somehow being trapped within his eyes, "To be honest, I'm still a bit loopy from it…"
"… You OK…?" Lucario asked slowly and wondering if he should still be worried about her attacking him again. He was able to forgive her once, but he knew that if she tried it again that would be the end of it.
"Better than you, I'm sure" Zerobi replied, feeling like snickering but not being able to even smile.
Again they stood in silence, simply looking at one another. Zerobi saw that Lucario was missing a lot of fur on his body from the barrage of fire-based attacks he had taken from the Garchomp, making his scars more visible than before. The new scar gracing his throat did not escape her, the damaged tissue's brownish color making it seem a lot worse than the others.

"… Can we really do this?" Zerobi asked with a discouraged tone in her voice while staring at his wound, "No… No, it's too late. Even if you're fine with it, everyone else…"
"… I'll think of something…" Lucario said while scratching the new uncomfortable skin around his throat, "… Although, an apology would be nice…"
"Uh…" Zerobi mumbled slowly, not knowing what to do, "… I'm sorry for cutting your throat?" She blinked once in surprise as Lucario simply smiled in response.

"Um… About that thing I said…" she suddenly said, finally being able to look down as she tried to hide a blush appearing on her face, "A-About saving you…"
"… Don't worry about it…" Lucario replied confidently with a wave of his hand, "… You saved me. Why…? Doesn't matter."
"W-Well…" Zerobi stammered, feeling somewhat relived but still not getting the answer she was looking for, "It kind of does…"
"… Nah, doesn't bother me at all…" Lucario replied, completely oblivious to what she was hinting at.
"No, what I mean is…" Zerobi said with a slow tempo before borrowing some of her earlier determination to say what was on her mind, "… I-If you'd allow it, could… Could we be together?"
"… Actually… I think we need some time apart…" Lucario responded bluntly, "… At least until my throat heals… Battling wits like this… Is unfair…"
"… Heh" Zerobi finally gave off a short snicker while exhaling a sigh of disappointment, "Well, I don't think I can beat that one."
"… Let's go…" Lucario said while putting his right arm around her back, "… I think your sister's waiting…"

The two of them left the scene and began walking back to where the major conflict had taken place. Zerobi moved reluctantly at first, but felt reassured with Lucario next to her. Being able to sense the joyful aura of Celebi not far away in front of them, it truly felt like they were leaving despair behind them and moving on to better times.

Despite their best efforts, the overwhelming power of the prodigy trainer Lucas proved to be too much for the Legendary Quintet as they were all defeated and captured. Only Lucario remained free, and only regained consciousness long after Lucas had departed with his newfound friends. Alone and disoriented, he continued wandering on a fruitless journey, cursing himself for his failure.

Word of Celebi's capture quickly spread. Legends mixed with rumors and created hope, leaving people dreaming of a new era of prosperity formed from the research of Celebi's alleged abilities. The general public demanded that Lucas would resign possession of the valuable Pokémon, and he reluctantly handed Celebi over to the greatest organization on earth for studying.

Celebi was brought to consciousness once more, feeling herself surrounded by the tube that had kept her entrapped for so long. What manner of materials it was constructed out of escaped her, but it was far more resilient than anything she had encountered before. It was also see-through, and allowed her to once again recognize the lead scientist, an old man dressed in a white lab coat and wearing thick glasses standing in front of her.

"L-Let me out!" Celebi stammered fearfully, attempting attack after attack in the hopes of shattering the glass confining her. She knew that her actions had proved futile so far, but wanted freedom so badly that she was willing to try anything.
"Soon enough…" the scientist responded, reaching into his lab coat and pulling out a Pokeball.
"You… You can understand me…?" Celebi asked as she became surprised and calmed down a bit. The scientist had been overseeing most of the experiments conducted on her, yet had never shown himself capable of understanding her or being sympathetic to her misery.
"Better than you yourself could ever realize" the man in white snickered with a mischievous smile on his face, "I wonder… Are you able to understand me?"

The man pressed a button on the Pokeball, and a red light preceded a fairly large Alakazam appearing beside him.

"Celebi…" the scientist whispered to himself, "Celebi, the legendary… Celebi, the time traveler… Hmpf. Narrow minded fools."
"Please… I am begging you!" Celebi suddenly exclaimed, the fading memories of Mew, Pikablu and Zerobi flashing through her mind, "Release me! I-I have so much to do on the outside!"
"Oh, yes" the scientist said calmly, "Indeed you do." Celebi became worried as the man began fidgeting around, seemingly giddy with what was about to happen.
"Celebi… There is no corruption your purity cannot cleanse" he said triumphantly, "No wrongs your being cannot undo."
"I… I don't understand…" Celebi responded weakly, wishing for nothing more than freedom and praying that what she said would not hinder her chances.

"I see no reason to further delay the inevitable" the man in the lab coat suddenly said, removing his glasses and looking at his Pokémon, "Alakazam, this will be your final order." The Alakazam looked back at him for a moment in confusion, before nodding his head with loyalty.

"Lobotomize her" the man in white said, his words and gaze both as cold as ice.
"… What!? No!" Celebi exclaimed with a startled voice, "Don't!" Her response was nothing but silence, as the Alakazam directed his spoons at her, instantly making her panic as her heart almost stopped in terror.
"I-I'll comply! I'll do anything you want!" she begged, desperate for escape from her tightly confined glass tomb, "Just don't do that! I don't know what will happen! Please! I'm beg-"

Her pleading was cut short as the Alakazam's spoons suddenly bent themselves. Celebi gasped as she felt a small vein in her forehead rupture. She inhaled deeply and tried her best to retain herself, but soon became lost within a cloud of darkness that enveloped her. From the outside, her once curious gleaming eyes turned hollow and dead, as if her very soul had left her body. Slowly she sunk down to the ground, falling back as if lying down for a rest. The aura that always emanated from her was the only thing that remained. In fact, it was growing stronger and stronger by the second.

Suddenly, tiny saplings began sprouting around Celebi. Somehow they were able to grow out of the metallic lifeless surface as if it was fertile ground. Spreading at an alarming rate, they soon turned the see-through cylinder entrapping her completely green with overgrowth, making it look like a tree more commonly found in a rainforest.

"Yes… YES!" the scientist in white shouted triumphantly, "FINALLY! THE REBIRTH OF OUR WORLD SHALL COMMENCE!"
A small crack appeared on the glass tube, followed by a loud crash as the glass-like substance shattered and its grassy insides began leaking out like water. Crawling along the ground and covering the ceilings, the Alakazam began to get worried as the wild cackling of his trainer grew even more violent.

"COME!" the man yelled happily, "WE ARE READY FOR YOU!" The growths moved towards them with no remorse, making them both yell out in pain as tiny sprouts formed on their feet and began creeping up their bodies.
"HA HA HA! MORE!" the scientist yelled through the searing pain, the outer cells of his body becoming infected by cellulose and converting themselves into cells of plants. The Alakazam fell back as his mind snapped from the agony, vines growing out of his innards and pushing around his body while linking themselves with each other. Their bodies ceased all organic functions after about fifteen seconds, but their minds remained intact for twenty.

The last five seconds seemed far, far longer than the preceding fifteen.

Few people in the city that day even realized that anything was wrong before it was too late. The few that did noticed that the tallest building in the city was becoming awfully green before seeing that their legs were being held to the ground by powerful strands of grass.

Humans and Pokémon both fell prey to this unstoppable menace, spreading its way across the globe at an alarming rate. Any attempt at halting their progress was thwarted, the plants overgrowing even the sacred fires of Ho-Oh like a wave of seawater. A final stand was prepared at the other side of the planet of where Celebi was, but ended up overrun and swallowed up like everything else.

The oceans instantly became filled to the brim with oxygen, making them poisonous and quickly paralyzing their inhabitants and sending them to the bottom. The last remaining species were the flying Pokémon, some of them holding out as long as a week before tiring and crashing down against the unforgiving ground, becoming one with the rest of the planet.

After several months of unceasing growing, the empty shell of Celebi exhaled its last breath and ceased to exist, lying on a bed of flowers. A single tear passed out of the corner of her eye in her final moment, quickly being sucked up by a nearby plant. There were no signs of the city that once surrounded her, every nanometer of surface having become completely overgrown with various growths.

The earth stood silent, having nothing to show for itself but large seas and a gigantic jungle covering its entire surface. Every individual that once existed on the planet is now eradicated, converted into a never ending sea of eukaryotes containing cellulose.

However, somewhere in the deepest reaches of the ocean, a few prokaryotes scuttle around. Completely oblivious to their own existence as well as their role in the world, they begin to multiply.

And so, the miraculous circle of life begins anew.

BAD END

- - - - - - - - -

... Just a "What if" scenario. Sure is lucky this isn't what really happened, right?

Honestly, this is as experimental as I've ever gotten with my writing, so I'd LOVE to hear what you thought of it!

I'm back! I apologize for my absence. Midterms season just ended for me, so ill have more time. Also I recommend getting an official beta reader to check anything I may have missed. You can request one here

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

- - - - -Chapter 10

Travels
(Epilogue of Episode II)
- - - - -

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

After only a few hours of wandering, the snow had completely disappeared from beneath their feet.

Can be removed as it's redundant.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“This damn climate, it…” Lucario said to himself as he looked around, “It boggles the mind!”

Lol, I know it's dialog but it sound strange. "My" would of been preferred, but it's ultimately up to you.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Dry is not a taste, damn it!” Lucario yelled much louder than necessary,

Silly Zerobi/Lucario; dry is a flavor not a taste.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

The moment he ended up in front of Zerobi, she noticed that the stingers he had gotten stuck on him during their last battle still remained.

It needs a little re-wording, maybe "As soon as Lucario passed Zerobi, she noticed the stingers from their last battle remained on his back." or something similar.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

Lucario asked while looking at her sharp claws, “No thanks. I don’t need more holes in me…”

lol.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Come on! It’s the only way I’ll ever learn!” Zerobi shouted as she moved closer to him.

Zerobi + lolcat = "I's on ur baks practizing ma medizins."

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

As he did so, he couldn’t help but feel a bit bad. She was just trying to help him, it’s not like it was her fault she had giant knives for hands.

Maybe change "bad" to something more specific like "of regret". The underlined portion could be inner dialog in first person, again up to you.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Sworn’d?” Zerobi asked in a confused tone, “Wait… You have a few allies, after all?”

Lol.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"… Hmm… Yeah, I see your point" Lucario mumbled before scratching his head, "In a world of monsters, I doubt bullets would be good against anything weaker than a bear."

I like this idea. It's a short but logical excuse for the lack of weapons. So Lucario's past life was in a world that had bears. Hmm... This also explains his lack of general knowledge regarding pokémon. Could it be that he is from the "real" world and somehow came to posses Lucario's body in this world? I can't wait to find out!

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"A creature called 'Deoxys' appeared out of nowhere and ran around, killing everything in its path", Zerobi explained bluntly without batting an eye (; or .) "Calling it 'strong' would be the understatement of the century.

Added stuff in bold.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

Looking down at his back, she noticed that several spikes were sticking out among the large hairs growing out of his torso.

Should be "long", unless of course those hairs are also thick. If that's the case then "large" is ok... but yucky.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“Yeah, I know…” Zerobi snickered, “I’m lying.” Instantly she grabbed the first of the thorns and pulled it out, making Lucario yelp in surprise.

Lol, Zerobi is evil.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"I don't know, I kind of like it here" Zerobi snickered as she leaned back and tried getting comfortable, "You wanna sleep together?"

*giggle* I know it's innocent (right now), but I couldn't help it.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

“See it like this - We are both less than a dot on a speck of a planet in a tiny little solar system in the edges of a galaxy, that there are millions of” Lucario explained in a depressing tone before lightening up, "But we're not worthless! Every time we close our eyes in a blink, we give birth to new life in the form of cells, only to kill them off the moment our eyes open.”
"… Whoa…" Zerobi whispered to herself, "Deep."
“That means that depending on our perspective, we are both an almighty god...” Lucario continued, “… And barely even nothingness.”

I like how Lucario shows the difference between them this way.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Huh… Funny to think that someone so handsome was once…" Zerobi started but suddenly trailed off after realizing what she had just said, "… Uh, human!"

Yay she likes him.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Handsome?" Lucario said with an uninterested tone, "I can't tell… And I really don't care, either."

Lucario you idiot!

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"… Fine" Lucario said as he closed his eyes as well, "Just know that out of all the odd things I've met since I got here… You're the best."

Yay there is hope.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"I'm you"[/i]

This gave me goosebumps, and the colors only enhanced it. Very nice touch.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"You could try to find that Pikachu, he might know where she is."

Could they be talking about Ash's pikachu? I wonder why he's not with Ash anymore.

A breeder joyously hatches a riolu for a client. To the dismay of the hatchling, the client never returns to claim him. Faced with an abandoned pokémon, the breeder vows to find the riolu's trainer and family.(Better banner coming soon.)Current - Chapter 1: The Client.

When you start a new paragraph make sure tap Enter twice. Otherwise, the body will look like thick blocks of text (event though their not). You should probably fix this in past chapters too.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

- - - - -Chapter 11

Prehistoric Tomboy Kabuta

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

This made Zerobi elated as she referred to their surroundings as a "buffet", Lucario secretly hoping she was talking about game and not berries.

Maybe, "This elated Zerobi" and "hoped" sound better.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

He also started missing his trusted pair of shoes as many sharp pinecone-like things were strewn over the road, forcing him to constantly look down and avoid them with his every step.

Probably should remove "also", as you don't want to start a sentence that way. Not sure, but I think it should be "pine cone". You can remove "his" as it sounds redundant.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Hmm... The question is where…" Zerobi mumbled as she quickly looked over Lucario body, "I guess… In your case, your major weakness would be to fire."

Should be "Lucario's".

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"You'll have to ask one of them, but I think they have a flame sac somewhere in them that creates something flammable…" Zerobi answered while remembering her days in school, "… And they use their claws and teeth or whatever to ignite it."

good theory.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Flammable substance" Lucario responded quickly, "Actually, it's more like a bunch of dead plants and animals condensed into a black sludge."

I'm surprised she didn't ask about these "animals" you speak of.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"You…" Zerobi stammered as she tried to grasp what he had just said, "… You use corpses to operate machinery!?"

Wow, when you put it that way, we sort of are :O.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

The first figure was short as well as brightly yellow, a Pokémon Zerobi recognized as a Pikachu.

Yay! can this be Ash's Pikachu? I know that everybody knows what Pikachu looks like, but maybe you should mention its tail shape and red cheeks in the physical description since those 2 things kinda stand out.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

The second figure was tall and extremely slender, even more so than Zerobi. It was a Gallade, and a shiver ran through Zerobi as she remembered what she had to do the last time she met one of those. To Lucario, it was the only one of them that appeared to be somewhat human in shape.

Could use a little more description.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Pfft, don't be so sure about that…" the tiny yellow thing huffed with a deep voice, "Remember the story about the Dragonite? Sometimes, all it takes to break the mightiest warrior is a single loss."

Lol, Pikachu with a deep voice and is a bad influence to others? That's awesome.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

For a split second, a true legend stood face to face with a human transformed into a Pokémon, accompanied by the founder of the cult known as evolution's gate.

*SQUEE!!* Epic moment is Epic. Maybe it you shortened it it'll flow better, maybe "For a split second, a true legend stood face to face with human turned Pokémon and a founder of a cult named evolution's gate." Up to you.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"I mean, what the hell was that!?" Lucario continued laughing, "The green thing looks like it was out skiing on its hands and fell into 'the pit of unfitting triangles', where it must've had quite a few of them lodged into it!"

This made me laugh.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

Lucario's smile faded quickly as he turned around and saw that the three peculiar Pokémon had stopped and become quiet.

“Hahaha! What a coward!” Kabuta laughed while obviously trying to make her voice sound gruffer, “No wonder he’s wearing pants, he probably hasn’t got anything down there!”
Both Pikablu and the Gallade looked down shamefully.

I can picture them thinking "We failed as role models", lol.

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"Stay back, Pikablu" the Gallade suddenly said with a serious tone as he took a determined step forward, "This one's mine."

Oh yeah all Gallades are male... but what about his voice?

Originally Posted by ShadedSkies

"No, I mean…" Pikablu tried to continue, but too disoriented to continue. He couldn't tell whether it was his niece's panicked shouts, or the puzzling name that had been uttered earlier.

Oh noes! Pikachu is fat and has memory loss, he's getting old! I hope he can still kick tail.

A breeder joyously hatches a riolu for a client. To the dismay of the hatchling, the client never returns to claim him. Faced with an abandoned pokémon, the breeder vows to find the riolu's trainer and family.(Better banner coming soon.)Current - Chapter 1: The Client.

I like this idea. It's a short but logical excuse for the lack of weapons. So Lucario's past life was in a world that had bears. Hmm... This also explains his lack of general knowledge regarding pokémon. Could it be that he is from the "real" world and somehow came to posses Lucario's body in this world? I can't wait to find out!

Don't go nuts trying to figure that one out just yet. Maybe "bear" is just another word for Urasing? Maybe where he's from, "bears" are actually a sports team? What a frightening thought!

Should be "long", unless of course those hairs are also thick. If that's the case then "large" is ok... but yucky.

Agreed, but that's the case. Typical anime thing to make sure they don't have to draw every strand.

Could they be talking about Ash's pikachu? I wonder why he's not with Ash anymore.

They're actually talking about the main character from the story "Forever Legendary". Ash's… Around, but I won't be writing him in any time soon. Haven't seen the show in more than a decade, so I don't know him well enough to do anything with him.

Anyway, the next few chapters will feature a lot of stuff from "Forever Legendary", just a heads-up.

I'm surprised she didn't ask about these "animals" you speak of.

YES! Someone caught that! She actually thought he said "anima", which means "soul", hence why she's even more disgusted than she should be!

Wow, when you put it that way, we sort of are :O.

Yup. Typical humans, finding a use for everything!

Also I'm confused about Gallade's gender.

He's a flamboyant 'pretty boy' that enjoys dancing. You tell me. Supposedly, he gets more girls than any of the others, though...

Night had fallen by the time Lucario and Zerobi made it back to the others. Underneath the glow of the moon, a crowd of Pokémon stood huddled together, watching a small legendary embrace her younger sister.

"My dear sister…" Celebi whispered while was barely holding back her tears, "… I-I thought you were dead…!" Her extremely short arms were hardly able to wrap around Zerobi's already scrawny neck, only serving to further increase the awkwardness of the moment.
"Um…" Zerobi mumbled and had no idea on how to react, "… I, uh… Didn't even know you existed!"
"Oh…" Celebi exclaimed before hugging her tighter, "I'm so glad…!"

The nearby crowd of Pokémon watched the scene intently, but the harshness of the previous day had left them exhausted and generally unimpressed by this warm display.

"Urk, she's going to get blood all over her…" the Gallade muttered before noticing that Zerobi was cleaner than when he last saw her, "… Or not! Did she take a quick bath, or something?"
"Never mind that" Kabuta mumbled while unintentionally poking at the empty socket where her right scythe used to be, "I thought Celebi detested physical contact?"

At the sight of this, Kabutops suddenly walked past Lucario towards Kabuta. Lucario noticed that Kabutops looked a lot like his daughter, except for being somewhat bigger and having a far more rugged shell. If not for the fact that their auras were fairly different, he would have had trouble telling them apart.

"She does" Kabutops said in a clam voice as he moved closer to her, "But there's always an exception when it comes to family. Speaking of which…"

Kabtuops suddenly lifted his sharp scythe of an arm towards Kabuta. Lucario edged forward in a reaction to stop it, but realized that Kabuta's hard shell should be more than enough to prevent any damage from his scythes. The seemingly hostile action quickly turned into a warm moment as Kabutops carefully embraced his daughter, at long last keeping her within his protection.

"P-Pops…" Kabuta stammered while looking up at her father, desperately wanting to hug him back but noticing that such an action was no longer possible, "… I lost my arm."
"Hmm… I remember when I lost my first arm" Kabtuops said with a comforting tone in his voice, "A tussle with a reckless Omastar one night… Almost a century ago…"
"Wait… It'll grow back…?" Lucario asked, seeing Kabutops' two scythes and suddenly remembering a lesson about crayfish he had as a child.
"… Stronger than before, right?" Kabuta asked in a surprisingly childish voice.
"Right…" Kabutops replied with reassurance, "… That trainer had better watch it, should he return."
"… I'm sorry…" Lucario said slowly as he started feeling bad, "If my aura hadn't acted up, I might've been able to prevent it."
"… Hmm…" Kabutops mumbled while throwing a glance his way, "… Who were you, again?"

Lucario sighed, too tired to even be going through all the hardships in his head. He looked over at Pikabu and the Gallade, neither of which seemed eager to jump in and assist him. The others' incessant hugging made the three of them feel a bit left out, but they weren't desperate enough to start hugging each other.

"This… This is what makes it all worthwhile…" Pikablu said to himself, seemingly more taken by Celebi and Zerobi's joyful reunion than Lucario and the Gallade. Looking at his comrade, he felt a pang of regret over not having been able to protect Kabuta better, but was happy to see father and daughter together again. Quietly he moved his eyes towards Lucario, intentionally missing the Gallade who was busy looking at his reddened face in a mirror.

"So… Should I be worried?" Pikablu asked sternly, "She tried to kill you. This all could've ended so very badly." Despite having defeated Rayquaza on his own in the previous battle, Lucario noticed that Pikablu was currently in better shape than any of them.
"Gotta learn to treat your lady better, this one's got claws!" the Gallade added while smiling into the mirror, relieved to see that all his teeth were intact.
"… It was a technique" Lucario said with a voice still in poor condition, Zerobi listening in on their conversation and gasping a bit in surprise. Pikablu raised his eyebrow, awaiting further explanation.
"… But she can't tell friend from enemy when she's in that mode…" Lucario continued, the talking making his throat sting with every word, "… Totally slipped my mind. Shouldn't have gotten near her…"
"Sounds like a pretty reckless technique" the Gallade said before exhaling in relief over not being forced to fight a Dark-type.
"Dangerous situations call for dangerous techniques" Pikablu said confidently while crossing his arms, "Hmpf… You're just lucky Celebi was here to save you."

Celebi giggled a bit to herself, amused at hearing Pikablu lecturing someone over the same mistake he himself did only a few years ago. Calming herself down, she let go of Zerobi and looked directly at her. Zerobi shied away from her gaze, but somewhere within those eyes Celebi was able to gain a sense of recognition. Lugia and Ho-Oh had only described her baby sister as "the Dark-type with black fur", which seemed to match the Weavile in front of her better than anything.

"Zerobi…" she said before finding a more suitable word, "… I mean, 'sis'… Oh, I have such sights to show you!"
"… Listen, Celebi…" Zerobi tried to explain, "This is all kind of unexpected. I really don't know what to do."
"Worry not!" Celebi exclaimed cheerfully, "We are siblings, after all! Do what you want!"
"… Uh…" Zerobi mumbled defiantly, lowering her voice, "It's just, that… Well, I don't know you."
"… Um…" Celebi mumbled back while dropping her voice to the same low tone, "… I had a speech planned out… But that was many, many years ago!"
"Tell me, is there any sort of proof that we're related?" Zerobi asked.
"… Well, I supposed I could match up our DNA…" Celebi replied while thinking hard, "… Would you mind holding perfectly still for about twenty seven hours?"

"Wow…" the Gallade snickered quietly as he put the mirror down on the ground, "Who'd have thought the first family reunion after twenty years would feel so awkward?"
"… As heartwarming as this all is, it's got to wait until later" Pikablu said in a bossy way while once again taking charge, "Let's wrap up things here, first."
Pikablu broke away from the crowd and approached the passed out trainer not far away, lying beside his fainted Garchomp. He couldn't help but smile as the term 'apocalyptic beatdown' instantly leaped to his mind, wondering if he'd ever grow too old to enjoy a heated battle. Noticing that the Garchomp was covered in blood made him think about Celebi, and worried that she'd try to heal it out of sympathy when he felt it really deserved nothing less than a painful death.

"So… Should we release Rayquaza?" Pikablu suddenly asked, looking over the belt of Pokeballs on Lucas and noticing that he couldn't tell them apart from each other.
"That's…" Celebi sighed while looking down shamefully, "… The reason I became caught in the first place."
"Oh yeah, how'd that happen?" the Gallade asked before looking over at Kabutops with a smile, "The 'Indomitable Kabutops'… More like 'Completely domitable'!"
"… Cliffnotes?" Kabutops replied with a bored tone, "Rayquaza appeared, Celebi decided to help him, he took the presented opportunity to knock her out, then spat things at us until we went down."
"I simply could not believe that such a magnificent creature would find solace in captivity…" Celebi explained, "I thought he was being held against his will, or had his mind controlled, or something of the kind…"
"Mind control?" Pikablu said with an amused huff, "That's just something you find in silly fiction."
"Oh really?" the Gallade snickered menacingly and gave Pikablu the chills, "What was your first explanation for Celebi 'attacking' us, again?" Pikablu glared angrily at the Gallade, who didn't even notice it as he had built up a resistance to it over the years.

"… I should have just fled, instead of trying to befriend him" Celebi continued, her voice getting more and more depressed, "I suppose that my meeting you that time created some… Strange urges within me."
"Don't forget, that first meeting was all but pleasant…" Kabutops pointed out, "… Actually, about the same, just that you lost this time."
"My mistake placed you all in severe danger" Celebi whispered sadly before lifting her head and looking at Kabutops, "… I'm sorry"
"Me too" Kabutops replied in a faster manner than usual, "I was a captive of humans once, and I have no intention of returning to that 'life'… But I wouldn't exactly call this your fault, Celebi."
"… 'Life', eh?" Pikablu repeated, looking at the unusually downtrodden Celebi with worried eyes, "How bad was it?"
"… He was very kind" Celebi responded, clearing some of the fogginess from her own eyes and returning them to their sapphire sheen, "But I simply cannot live my life in servitude of another."

They all became quiet, letting the moment fully sink in. While the others were merely exhausted, Celebi and Kabutops were disoriented from being outside the Pokeball after such a long time. The simple notion of being surrounded by air seemed different compared to what they had just been through.

"… Again, who is this guy?" Kabutops said while looking at Lucario, the faintest of smiles showing itself beneath his mask, "… He's making me look chatty…"
"… Talking hurts…" Lucario grumbled with a damaged voice, "… Don't want to rupture a vein unless it's necessary… Or someone's filming it for later viewing."
"You pulled off some pretty snazzy moves out there" Pikablu admitted with a nod, "Especially when you didn't get caught when he used that Pokeball. How'd you do that?"
"Excuse me…" Celebi said softly while moving away from Zerobi and towards Lucario, hoping to get Kabutops' curiosities back on track, "… But who are you?"
"Lucario" he responded bluntly, "I just… Tagged along with these guys, I guess."
"One might say that without him, you'd still be stuck on that Pokeball belt" Pikablu said with a sigh while looking back at the unconscious Lucas, "… We'd all be sharing it, as a matter of fact."

Celebi blinked once in confusion, before suddenly smiling and making Lucario feel somewhat giddy, which in return made him uneasy. Pleasant sensations were constantly escaping Celebi, affecting him in the same way he imagined winning a million dollars would... Or perhaps something more akin to buying anti-depressants for them.

"Thank you for rescuing me, Lucario" Celebi said, bowing her head courteously.
"… N-No problem…" Lucario mumbled, the happiness flowing through the air combined with this cute display making him give off a nervous stammer.
"I am eternally grateful" Celebi continued with her gentle demeanor, "What would you like as a reward?"
"… That happy energy your body's radiating is enough…" Lucario replied, feeling a bit mischievous, "Can I cut off a piece to carry with me?"
"Um, Lucario…" Zerobi said as Celebi recoiled in horror from his request, "That thing you are… I think Celebi can help you with it."
"… Uh…" Lucario mumbled, looking at the tiny sapling-like creature in front of him, "… Not eating enough vegetables?"
"Not that" Zerobi groaned before explaining things more specifically, "You know, that thing that separates you from us."
"… Oh, you mean my general distaste for berries!?" Lucario exclaimed excitedly.
"The reason why you wear pants!" Zerobi finally said, not knowing how she could get any clearer without giving it away.
"… Ah!" Lucario said while putting his hands together, "Oh yeah. I'm, like, a human stuck in the body of a Lucario."

"You…" Pikablu muttered confusedly from behind him, "… You're what?"
"Human" Lucario answered and turned around to look down at the Pikachu, "You know, like that kid over there, but much more manly."
"Are you… Honest?" Celebi asked in as sincere a tone as she could muster, given the situation.
"Can't afford not to be" Lucario replied while turning around again to face her, "With all those other weird abilities you've got, you can probably just read my mind, anyway…"
"Mind reading?" the Gallade scoffed with an amused huff, impersonating Pikablu's gruff voice, "That's just something you find in silly fiction."
"How fitting" Pikablu muttered again with distrust, "Sounds like just the kind of thing this guy came out of."
"I can attest to it" Zerobi said before everyone turned their eyes to her, making her jump a bit, "Well… Kind of… Anyway, surely Celebi has seen something like this happen before…?"

Everyone's eyes now turned to Celebi, awaiting her decisive response.

"… Forgive me, but I have never even heard of such a thing!" Celebi said with shock.
"Figures…" Lucario sighed disappointedly, "Fine. Give me, like, a massage or something and we'll call things even."
"I don't think you understand" Zerobi said sharply, Celebi once again recoiling in disgust over Lucario's request, "If even Celebi hasn't heard of it, it simply doesn't exist."
"We're back on this, again?" Lucaro replied with a tired sigh, "The Pokeball didn't affect me. Explain that."
"Neither did my claw, and it's not because you're human!" Zerobi said, quickly looking away from Celebi's curious stare, "… Face it, weird things happen, and there doesn't have to be but one conclusion."

"Excuse me, but as interesting as this all is…" Pikablu suddenly interrupted while stepping in between the three debating Pokémon, "… There are more pressing matters at hand."
"Finally! Someone's saying what we're all thinking!" the Gallade exhaled in relief and followed Pikablu, "If I don't get treatment soon, this might leave a mark for WEEKS!"
"See, that's why you'll always be uncle sissy" Kabuta explained with a disappointed tone, "I lost an arm, and you don't hear me whining!"
"My beauty does not simply just grow back, and neither will my career!" the Gallade argued, making both daughter and father instinctively facepalm.
"… At any rate…" Pikablu continued, annoyed by the unnecessary interruption, "We should move. If the trainer wakes up, we'll have to knock him out again."
"Hah!" Lucario exclaimed with a nasty cough, "Y-You're saying that like that'd be a bad thing…"
"Let's just get going" Pikablu sighed, personally not minding giving the trainer one last headbutt for good luck but reluctant in doing so in front of Celebi, "In the meantime, tell us in detail about this whole 'human' thing."

Lucario grumbled over having to stress his throat even further as he began to explain his situation, all of them moving away from the battlefield in the meantime. Celebi looked back one last time at her defeated trainer, not knowing whether to apologize or inflict his body with an inconvenient disease. In the end, she simply followed the others with a delighted expression on her face. In a million years, she would never have guessed that she would one day have so many friends.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"..."

"..."

"..."

"...?"

"... Begin."

"Our efforts are going nowhere, sir. We are at the end of our ropes."

"..."

"However, if we were to request assistance from our Unova branches... Things would go a lot smoother."

"Hmpf… Bloody foreigners. Are we truly in such need of awkward dual bug-types?"

"... Insolence! Hilbert is a trainer more worthy of the title 'champion' than any other!"

"Hmpf... I witnessed Brendan decimate the Elite Four with my own eyes. Are you saying that he should continue trying to capture a SINGLE Lucario? You are wasting his talents."

"Whoa, you've been around for more than a century?" Zerobi exclaimed in a surprised manner while looking at Kabutops. Her earlier dreams and curiosities surrounding immortality suddenly awoke, making the living fossil in front of her seem more interesting than earlier. Hardly an hour had passed since they started walking away from the conflict zone with Lucas, but Zerobi had already had her mind blown several times by revelation after revelation supplied by the ancient Pokémon.

"More than several" Kabutops responded, "… Although, as I was frozen in time, I am unaware of any difference…"
"… What was that like?" Zerobi asked, ashamed by her own question's lack of structure, "I mean, like, you must've seen a lot of things."
"I've seen species alter themselves to match the balance of nature. I've seen others fail to do so and become extinct…" Kabutops said quietly and slowly while closing his eyes, "… And now, I watch my kids grow up and ridicule the bunch."
"Of course!" Kabuta suddenly burst out, "You think I'd show respect to some piece of slab who'd only see me as lunch?"

Kabutops chuckled a little, knowing that Kabuta's own mother would fit into that category if not for their family ties. He then became serious again and somewhat depressed over just having imagined such a cruel twist of fate. Unwittingly, his thoughts drifted towards memories of his past, a world of constant fear and murder where only the fittest could survive. Trying to get his mind off his frightening past, he noticed the Gallade's girly voice coming from his side, and against his better judgment decided to listen in to what the others were talking about.

"… So, yeah, I guess I see how that'd be impossible" Pikablu said with a sigh.
"Nothing is impossible!" the Gallade chimed in, "You know about the Skitty and the Wailord, right?"
"… Know about the what, now?" Lucario asked with a confused tone.
"Man, explaining everything to you is getting pretty annoying!" the Gallade burst out before sighing, "One's big, the other's small... But the small one can learn Grass Knot! It'll win every time!"
"… I think I understand less compared to one sentence ago" Lucario replied slowly as Celebi suddenly shuddered for some reason, "Keep going, I'll forget it altogether."
"You should not speak of such things in front of my daughter… Or Celebi" Kabutops told the Gallade with a disappointed stare, "… In what manner did we end up on this subject?"
"Opposable thumbs here gave us the shortest and least interesting origin story I've ever heard" Pikablu explained, for some reason keeping his arms crossed even when walking, "And Anne once told me in detail everything that happened during her time as a Metapod!"
"… Yeah…" Lucario mumbled, suddenly wobbling a little while moving forward at a slower pace than before.
"Haha, yeah!" Kabuta laughed, "My origin story is cooler, and I didn't even have any arms until three years ago!"
"… Sure was…" Lucario replied weakly while stumbling around.
"HEY!" the Gallade shouted at Lucario in an attempt to get his attention, "We're dissing you, here! Are you awake?"
"… No...?" Lucario responded, his eyes halfway closed. His mind was practically going blank from exhaustion.
"I expended much energy in your body to regenerate your cells" Celebi explained while floating up to the level of his eyes, "Normally you should rest after that… But you sprung to life almost instantly…"

"… Aw, whatever. I'm going to sleep" Lucario finally said, suddenly stopping himself and lying down on the ground. The sensation of closing his tired eyes, having something against his back and giving his legs a moment to recuperate felt almost better the good feelings Celebi constantly gave off.
"R-Right here?" Zerobi asked with surprise, "At least pull out the sleeping bag!"
"Screw formalities…" Lucario grumbled and crossed his arms over his chest, "I sleep now."
"… Honestly, it's not the worst idea I've ever heard" Pikablu said while stretching his arms above his head, "We all could use some sleep."
"Kabutops and I were sleeping inside the Pokeballs all this time" Celebi said while noticing that everyone's body was in need of anabolism, "But I understand that you all need rest. I will manage."
"I was asleep for a few centuries not that long ago" Kabutops said in response, "The fact that I even sleep at all nowadays is a waste."
"I don't think sleeping works that way…" Zerobi mumbled, looking at Lucario who had already fallen asleep.

"Now, that's how sleeping works!" Kabuta said with an amazed tone, moving closer to Lucario and poking the side of his face with her remaining scythe. The muscles in his face didn't even twitch.
"… I want to learn. I'll sleep next to him!" Kabuta exclaimed, hardly believing that Lucario had been conscious just a few seconds ago.
"Not a chance" Pikablu said bluntly before yawning, "You move around too much. He doesn't need another scar on his throat."
"You sleep with me tonight" Kabutops said bluntly, "Come on. Jump up on my back."
"… Pops, I'm much too big for that, now…" Kabuta replied with a quiet voice.
"… Indeed you are" Kabutops sighed, wondering at what point the cute little Kabuto he held in his arms just a few years ago had turned into the fully grown Kabutops in front of him now. He had been there at every step of the way, but still the transformation from a helpless little child to a battle-weary adult had escaped him. Nostalgia combined with sadness hit him as he fought off memories of the past once more, and soon his mind became clouded with worry over his son instead.

Everybody lay down on the grassy ground and chatted less and less as they felt that it was time to join Lucario in dreamland. Kabuta fell asleep next to Kabutops, shortly followed by Pikablu who was more exhausted than he had been in years. The Gallade and Celebi also went rather quickly, leaving only Kabutops and Zerobi awake since they were too worried to be able to relax.
In time, they also fell asleep, bracing themselves for whatever nightmares this day would bring.

Even so, it was Celebi that awoke a few hours later, her mind in complete turmoil as she couldn't help but give off a short scream. For a moment she felt as if she was dead, before stronger feelings of despair and agony overtook that sensation. With each passing second, these became replaced with guilt as she could sense everyone around her slowly waking up.

"… A bad dream…?" Pikablu muttered while fighting hard against actually awakening.
"… Bad…?" Celebi repeated with a rapidly beating heart, "Yes… Very bad…"
"Celebi's scream…" Kabutops groaned as he had just gotten away from his own nightmare involving an especially persistent Carracosta, "… Worst wakeup call, ever."
"Wish I could say the same… This one time, I was with this Loudred chick…" the Gallade mumbled incoherently before giving up, "… Haah, too tired. Tell you tomorrow..."
"I… I could never explain…" Celebi whispered softly yet menacingly, "The cries of millions succumbing to me as I was completely unable to d-"
"Aw, come on!" Kabuta wailed while putting her scythe over her face, "Don't tell us it! Now I'm gonna have nightmares!"
"… Forgive me…" Celebi replied with hidden frustration in her voice, feeling like she was at the brink of going insane from a simple dream, "It… It was just so horrible…"
"Just a dream" Pikablu muttered in a tired and not so reassuring way, "Not for real. Sleep."

The rest of them went back to sleep, but Lucario couldn't help but notice that Celebi was still visibly trembling. He first began wondering how they all got to be sleeping in the middle of nowhere. Then, to his disappointment, Lucario noticed that the uplifting feeling he got from being near Celebi had diminished since she woke up.

"Hey, Celebi" he said quietly while lifting his arm a little, "C'mere."
"What?" Celebi asked with a shaky voice.
"I have a cure for your nightmare problem" Lucario mumbled while signaling for her to come closer. She obeyed him and hovered right above him, glad to see that the wound on his throat was healing at a normal pace.

She barely had any time to react as Lucario suddenly stretched out his arm and grabbed her, pulling her towards him and hugging her to his chest. For an instant she thought of sending him flying, but a memory flash from the destruction she caused in her dream made her resist it and halt herself.

As he had predicted, the effects of the lively aura emanating from Celebi became even stronger the nearer she was to him, filling him with pleasurable sensations and happiness. Lucario was thoroughly enjoying himself, already starting to feel a manner of addiction to it.

"L-Let me go!" Celebi stammered, to which Lucario could only snicker.
"This is an ancient technique passed down in my family" Lucario explained while keeping a good grip of her, "It'll protect you from nightmares."
"I-I…" Celebi kept going as she calmed down, "… Really?"
"Yeah" Lucario said confidently, "Just go to sleep, now."
Celebi knew that was more easily said than done, her heightened senses making her feel utterly disgusted being so close to someone else. The Lucario's arms were constricting her by pushing her towards his chest, which was filled with hair and made her back itch, an unfamiliar and unpleasant odor striking her nostrils as the pumping and sloshing within the organic creature under her sounded like having her head pressed again heavy machinery.
Even she did not know why she was beginning to find this to be comforting.

"… What makes you think sleeping like this will protect me from anything…?" Celebi whispered defiantly, still preferring to be sleeping on her own.
"My mother used to do this when I was a kid" Lucario explained with a smile on his face, "Never had a single nightmare, sleeping like that."
"… Mother…" Celebi repeated to herself. While it was true that she had finally found a sister, a mother was something she would never get to experience again.

Thinking back to her first years in life, she remembered just how much she loved her mother. While the memories of her were beginning to fade, the sensations were as strong as ever. The feeling of being cradled in her arms, seeing her smile and being near her… These were all things that would remain in her forever, in a way more alive and in touch with her being than anything surrounding her at the moment.

And before she knew it, she was asleep once more.

- - - - - - - - -

"Oh… Look at all these strong Pokémon… I really shouldn't be here…"

"Don't worry, Astrid! They're probably more scared of you than you are of them!"

"Heed my words on this day of days! Before we embark, let me first remind you exactly where in history we stand!"

"Remember! The initial population of this planet was not humans, but Pokémon! Our ancestors were barbaric, to say the least… Devouring each other, building upon the thought that only the strong survive…"

"We evolved past that rather quickly, which was lucky for the humans! They appeared around that time, and would not have survived long in an uncivilized world!"

"Whereas we grew diverse, they remained the same and instead grew smart… Intelligent, even. More technologically advanced. We know not exactly when, but there came a time when we Pokémon began fearing their technological advancements"

"… Hmpf. Of course! The world had never seen anything like it before! Had our ancestors known then what we know now, they would never have allowed this to happen!"

"The humans' first set of inventions? Creations used to capture and enslave Pokémon! But naďve as we were, we did not see this course of action as a threat. Generations of peace had then and has now made us oblivious to injustice."

"Some of us even found joy in being pets or being trained by the humans. We do not blame them. They are not any different from us, and they are not our enemy! However, the silent agreement between Pokémon and human has been broken by their latest assault of our kind!"

"Now, a scenario where every Pokémon falls under captivity is closer than you'd think! Some Pokémon are not meant to be captured! They have roles to fulfill in our world, and cannot spend their days as lapdogs for some teenage human!"

"But do they care? No! Foolish in their hubris and pride, they believe that they can do whatever they want without repercussions! Their idiotic struggle for more power will be the downfall of every living being!"

"We do not want a war! We do not want to enslave mankind! Our only goal is equality, a single ounce of respect from our fellow living creatures upon this planet! Most humans detest these aggressions towards our brethren, but they lack the power to do anything about it!"

"Power that WE now have assembled! The power to usurp those in charge of this pointless conflict! The power to bring change! The power to halt evil!"

"… There might be a way" Celebi said the next day after everyone had woken up, having just gone through the events of the previous night in her head. Everyone was still groggy from having slept and didn't bother responding, leaving her to handle the talking.
"It is true that I have heard nothing about a human turning into a Pokémon…" Celebi said, Lucario seeing the monsters waking around him and rubbing his eyes twice just to make sure that he still wasn't dreaming.
"… But transformations and shapeshifting was always Mew's specialty. She might know more about this than I do" she continued while looking at Lucario.
"… Mew!?" Zerobi exclaimed as she sat up in shock, "You… You know Mew?"
"Most legendaries are surprisingly tight" Pikablu said while stretching himself, "I know, it freaked me out at first, too."
"She's my best friend" Celebi explained with the soft voice no one was expecting after her shrill scream the night before, "Rather shy… Well, more recently than before, but I'm not sure exactly why…"
"Doesn't matter" Lucario responded coolly with a short yawn, "So, what makes you think Meow knows anything about my condition?"
"Whoa!" Zerobi burst out, still shaken by this revelation, "Lucario! Mew is THE legendary legend! They say she created every Pokémon!"
"Hi hi hi..." Celebi giggled quietly with a paw covering her mouth, "Really? Why would they be saying that about her?"
"They… She…" Zerobi stammered while going through the many occult magazines in her head, trying to remember if there was ever any real factual information in them, "… Iunno, something about having the DNA of every living creature…"

"Well, she IS an expert when it comes to transformation" Celebi said happily and thought back to the many experiments they had conducted in the past, "Now that I think about it… I think she actually managed to turn into a human, once."
"Really? That does make it sound like she'd know something" Lucario admitted and finally started pay attention as he became curious about her, "Where can I find her?"
"… Oh, but I am not supposed to tell any more Pokémon about her whereabouts…" Celebi whispered slowly, "Just telling you that she exists is…"
"Tell him" Pikablu suddenly said, "It's not like she <i>can't</i> destroy him instantaneously if he does something bad."
"Dude, I totally saved you several times yesterday" Lucario said with an insulted tone while looking at Pikablu, "Where's my respect?"
"Just stating a fact" Pikablu said confidently, "… And I don't remember you actually saving me even once.
"There" Lucario muttered while pointing at Pikablu, "Just now. I saved you from a punch in the face by stopping myself."
"You're not doing wonders in convincing Celebi that you're harmless, you know" Pikablu mumbled in return, seemingly grouchy.
"She slept with me all night, she can't be <i>that</i> uncomfortable" Lucario replied with the same confidence Pikablu exhibited earlier, which soon faded as everyone looked at him strangely.
"Wait, what was that?" the Gallade asked, but was promptly ignored.
"… Must've been a dream…" Kabutops muttered to himself and crossed his arms.
"Still, even if she points you in the right direction, that won't be enough" Pikablu said while crossing his arms as well, not wanting to be outdone in display of authority, "Mew is the shyest legendary there is. You won't find her unless she wants you to."

"I know a way around that!" Celebi exclaimed cheerfully, "Lucario, do you possess an artifact of some kind?"
"… Artifact?" Lucario repeated in confusion, "Uh… Like what?"
"Anything! I can use the Miracle Eye to fill it up with my energy!" Celebi chirped while getting the impulse to whirl around in the air, but stopping herself in an attempt to retain her proper demeanor, "That way, Mew should sense my aura radiating from it and at the very least become curious enough to ask you about it!"
"Oh, that thing you did against the Tyrant-y-tard?" Lucario asked and thought back to the menacing foe that had been turned into a meteorite so easily, "That was bloody awesome, by the way."
"That is what I was hoping for!" Celebi said cheerfully, "Hmm… I missed the impact, though…"
"Don't worry, Cell…" the Gallade whispered while moving a bit closer to the small legendary, "I'll show it to you later…" The Gallade was about to show her what he meant, but had to hastily hide the camera behind his back as Pikablu gave him a curious stare.

"So!" Celebi continued, "Do you have any form of object that you regularly carry around with you?"
"… Uh…" Lucario mumbled while looking over himself and sighing, "… Not really, no."
"Lucario…" Zerobi suddenly said before pointing at his bottom, "What about your pants?"
"… My pants?" Lucario repeated, looking down again. The trousers that had initially been positively shining with cleanliness were now torn by the edges as well as dirtied by everything from blood to mud. He became fairly disgusted with them, even though they were still as functional as always and he wouldn't even have noticed it if he hadn't looked down.
"… Would that work?" he asked, reminding himself to hit a clothing store in the near future.
"I-I suppose…" Celebi stammered with surprise as she thought of a way to alter the procedure and make it work, "… Yes, yes it should! A bit thin, but at least you carry them with you all the time!"
"Hey, it's not like I've got my wardrobe or any washing machines around here!" Lucario responded with an insulted tone, confusing Celebi.

She wasted no time in performing the task as the strange colored lines from before crept over her body once more, making Lucario nervous as he imagined himself being flung miles up into the air.

"Wait, shouldn't he remove them first?" Zerobi asked.
"No, that will not be necessary" Celebi replied happily to Zerobi who gave off a grouchy expression in return, again to Celebi's confusion.
"Why were you wearing them to begin with, anyway?" Pikablu asked Lucario while taking a bite out of a berry he stole from their backpack.
"Human, remember?" Lucario replied and noticed that he had started sweating for some reason, "I've got this thing called 'modesty'!"
"Why? It's not like you've got anything to cover up!" the Gallade laughed while nudging the young Pokémon next to him, "Eh, Kabuta?"
"Hey, you shut up!" Kabuta responded with a disgusted voice before looking at Lucario shamefully, "Sorry 'bout that, I was kind of taken by the moment back then."

Lucario did not have time to respond as the lines around Celebi coiled and suddenly shot themselves directly in between his legs. Instinctively he covered himself, using his hands as protection. Luckily, he did not feel anything from the action towards his pants, which he knew helped him from needing to replace them afterwards.
The lines dissipated in an anti-climax, everyone looking at Lucario for some sort of response. He moved his legs around, feeling an odd sensation creeping up his back.

"My pants have an aura… One that's considerably greater than mine" Lucario said, smiling but showing disappointment through the tone of his voice, "… I honestly don't know how to feel about this."
"You should put them in charge" the Gallade snickered, "Let them wear you for once."
"Alright…" Lucario said while making a small hop just to see that his energetic pants wouldn't evaporate or something, "That's it?"
"That's it!" Celebi replied cheerfully, "Head towards the passage of the sun until see an absolutely humongous mountain! Go to that, and-"
"Whoa whoa, wait!" the Gallade suddenly burst out in shock, "He's not a flying-type, you're telling him to climb THAT mountain!?"
"Well…" Celebi said to herself with disdain while Lucario started wishing he had something besides his mind to take notes with, "That would be impossible, I suppose. But Mew should be able to sense your aura even if you are at the foot of it. Just go there and wait."
"Sounds good" Lucario said, wanting one last piece of confirmation from Celebi, "Are you sure Mew will be there?"
"Definitively!" she responded, "We meet there once every non-turn of the moon to experiment and have fun!"

"Alright, then… Thanks" Lucario said with a nod as he turned around and started walking, "I guess I'll be going now."
"Going…?" Zerobi repeated slowly as something clicked in her head, "Wait, you're leaving!?"
"Of course, gotta find Mew " Lucario replied quickly while bending over and picking up the backpack, "Uh, could you take care of your sleeping bag from now on? I don't feel like carrying around useless weight."
"… That's no good!" Zerobi exclaimed with a disappointed tone, "Come on, stay here! He can stay with us, right?"
"I-I suppose…" Celebi responded, not sure of how it would work out but not wanting to deny her sister's very first request.
"Decline'd" Lucario sighed, "If Mew can make me human again, I have to find her."
"Who's to say Mew can help you, anyway?" Zerobi kept going while feeling herself become angry, "If not even Celebi could, chances are slim-"
"Maybe she can, maybe she can't" Lucario interrupted while starting to get agitated as well, "The alternative is staying here, and if I do that I KNOW there's absolutely no way I'll return to being human."
"… You can't! It's much too dangerous for you to be doing this alone!" Zerobi shouted with rage, "I found you right at death's door, and that's where you'll be going if I'm not around!"
"Hmpf…" Lucario huffed coldly as he was beginning to get tired from being talked back to, "For me, there was a journey before you, and there will be one after you as well."

Zerobi stared furiously at Lucario, who stared back with silent disdain. She wasn't quite sure herself of why she had lost her temper so easily, and began worrying that she was going to go on a killing rampage again. Just to be on the safe side, she forced herself to calm down.

"Must you leave right at this moment?" Celebi asked Lucario, feeling sorry for her sister and wanting to be as supportive as possible.
"No sense in wasting any time" Lucario replied cockily while looking around him, "Besides, this crowd's too big for my taste. I could use some time alone."
"But…" Zerobi said slowly while looking at Lucario with as sad a face as she could muster, "… What about me?"
"I guess…" Lucario said bluntly, "This is our farewell."
"Hey, sorry to interrupt, but I've got a solution…" Pikablu suddenly said with a surprisingly confident voice, "Lucario, build two phones and give her one."
"… Yeah!" Zerobi exclaimed happily, "That thing humans use! That way, we can stay in touch!"
"Uh… No?" Lucario answered in confusion, "I'm not an engineer, I just punch things."
"Come on! I've seen humans use phones all the time!" Zerobi continued with determination, fighting against the idea that this was truly their last meeting, "I'll help you, if that's the problem!"
"No, I honestly have no idea how to build a phone. That's just…" Lucario explained while trying to comprehend the stupidity of what he was hearing, "… Ugh. Besides, even if I did, I'd need materials not found out here in nature."
"… What kind of materials?" Zerobi kept going and feeling her determination wane.
"Hell if I know!" Lucario burst out angrily as he finally snapped, "There'd have to be, like, a radio tower, too! It's not just something you can throw together!"
Zerobi groaned in annoyance. For an instant, she thought of continuing her journey with Lucario. But the nagging curiosity that had haunted her throughout her entire life made her realize that if given the choice, she would stay with Celebi.

"Zer… I mean, sis…" Celebi whispered slowly as she noticed how troubled she was, "Come here. We need to discuss something."
Zerobi looked back at her, and sighed before the two of them moved away from the rest of the crowd. The rest stood and stared at Lucario, who preferred the way they treated before and was beginning to regret telling them about being human. Much to his chagrin, he saw the Gallade suddenly approach him with a smug smile on his face.
"Listen pal, if you're really going off alone, let me tell you the single most important advice you'll ever hear" the Gallade said in a strangely informed manner as if he was giving a lecture before suddenly contorting his face into that of a demon, "<b>HATE. ZUBAT. </b>"
"Yeah!" Kabuta chimed in, agreeing with the Gallade for once, "Winged little things swarm around you while sucking your blood, confusing you and giving out a bad experience altogether!"
"Never had a problem with them, myself…" Kabutops said while slowly shaking his head, "Voltorb on the other hand… Ugh."
"Wait, what do they do?" Lucario asked, progressively getting less motivated to go on his journey.
"Screech" Kabutops responded bluntly, "… And explode."
"… That's, like, the most horrible thing I've ever heard described!" Lucario exclaimed in horror while imagining a stick of dynamite rubbing itself against a blackboard, "What do they do then, poison you!?"
"That'd be Weedle" Pikablu mumbled and thought back to his many perilous days in Viridian Forest, "Just stay away from trouble whenever possible."
"B-But…" Lucario stammered, trying to come up with a countermeasure, "What if I roundhouse kick it?"
"Explosion" Kabutops answered quickly.
"But…" Lucario kept going, "What if I roundhouse kick it… In the face!?"
"… I don't see how you could kick it and NOT hit it in the face…" Pikablu muttered to himself.

The Gallade gave off a short laugh before putting his arm on Lucario's shoulder. Lucario twitched, remembering their earlier battle, but was pleased to notice that the arms weren't glowing and thus harmless.

"You know, just felt like warning you" the Gallade said, "You're a cool guy. I wouldn't mind going out for a drink with you one night."
"T-T-Thank y-you…?" Lucario stammered badly, receiving some very strange vibes from the slender Pokémon.
"Anyway, I've said my piece and I've done my part" the Gallade said and scratched the side of his face that was still itching from the battle, "D'you need me for anything else?"
"We're good, and always were" Pikablu replied snarkily, "Take that as a standing dis-invitation."
"Would you pronounce this thing and make it official, then…?" Kabutops asked, noticing the Gallade's subtle plea for just the same thing.
"Sure thing" Pikablu said while shrugging his shoulders, "Mission accomplished. You're all free to do what you want."
"HAHAHA! About time!" the Gallade shouted happily as he threw his arms up into the air, "Finally, it's time to update my website, blog and everything else! So long, suckers!"

The Gallade posed magnificently for a few moments. Seeing many unimpressed looks headed his way, he lowered his arms disappointedly.

"… Uh, do you guys need a ride somewhere?" he asked meekly.
"We're fine" Pikablu answered.
"Yeah" Kabuta said with a cocky voice, "Don't forget the camera, uncle sissy"
"Hah! That'll be uncle AWESOME to you once you see the feature presentation!" the Gallade replied cockily before raising his arms again, "Anyway, I'm outta here! Ciao!"
The Gallade suddenly disappeared, leaving behind a miniature implosion that startled both Lucario and Zerobi.

"But…" Kabuta whispered confusedly to herself, "… We all already saw the feature presentation..."
"Rockers" Kabutops said while putting his scythe on her head, "What have I told you about listening to uncle sissy?"
"Besides, you've already got one awesome uncle" Pikablu said with a smile, "And father… And mother… And brother…"
"True" Kabutops said while smiling to himself, "I do believe it's time for us to return home."
"I'm going back as well, to give Anne some reprieve" Pikablu said while reaching up and patting Kabuta on the back, "Good job on your first mission, kiddo."
"Thanks…" Kabuta whispered, not at all enthralled at what once would have sent her jumping for joy. Instead, she received a glint of determination in her eye as she looked over at Lucario and suddenly made a small leap towards him.

"Lucario!" she shouted, bowing her head in a show of respect few had seen, "Take me with you!"
"E… Eh?" Lucario stuttered with surprise, "W-With me? Where?"
"I've always wanted to go on a REAL adventure!" Kabuta explained while thinking about falling to her knees, but knew she would not be able to keep an upright position with only one arm, "Pops and Picks both went on an adventure… This is my best chance to have one, too!"
"Adventure!?" Pikablu yelled angrily while moving towards them and staring at Kabuta, "Are you crazy!? This idiot's heading towards certain doom!"
"I… WHAT!?" Lucario exclaimed in a worried outburst.
"What I mean, is…" Pikablu said, not breaking his eye contact with Kabuta, "You lost one arm under his watch, and you'll lose a lot more than that if you go with him."
"HEY!" Lucario shouted, "She lost it under YOUR watch! At least I did everything I could to stop it!"
"Again, you're not helping" Pikablu groaned as he felt like he could actually see all subtlety glancing by Lucario, "The next time, I'll just knock you out before starting."
"Picks, I…" Kabuta said confidently while looking back and forth between the two, "I need to do this! When I return, I'll be much stronger!"

The three of them kept bickering back and forth as tension begun to rise. Kabutops sighed and decided to move in between them, his calm demeanor almost instantly dispelling all the animosity surrounding them.

"Kabuta…" he said slowly while facing his daughter, seeing a bit of his younger self in her eyes, "… You've grown."
"Pops… I…" Kabuta stammered, not knowing what to say.
"Lucario, would you continue your journey in solace?" Kabutops said as he turned around and looked at Lucario, "Selfish as it may be, I wish to spend more time with my daughter before she is fully grown up…"
"Not a problem!" Lucario replied happily, relieved at the outcome as Kabuta was giving him the same set of strange vibes that he got from the Gallade earlier. Both Pikablu and Kabuta were half a second away from saying something to this, but stopped themselves as they noticed Celebi and Zerobi had returned. They took a step back, leaving a somewhat nervous Lucario alone in front of the two.

"Lucario…" Zerobi said slowly while facing him directly, "Is there anything I can do to get you to stay?"
"No" Lucario said bluntly on purpose, for some reason having been left unsatisfied and feeling like igniting another fight.
"But… When you are done with your quest…" Zerobi continued undauntedly, "… Will you return?" Lucario stood in silence, dropping his plans on teasing her when he noticed the sincerity in her voice. All she wanted was to be with him, and for the first time he was actually starting to feel sorry for her.
"… No" he said, knowing that in the end there was only one answer that he could give without lying.
"… I-I see…" Zerobi stammered sadly and lowered her head once more.
"Ugh… This is too painful to watch" Pikablu grumbled at Lucario with an annoyed tone, "Don't be such a hardass. You're really going to break a girl's heart, just like that?"
"Do I have a choice…?" Lucario muttered, "I'm human. No matter what, I'll never be able to see Zerobi as anything but a weird creature, and especially not a 'girl'."
"I have no way of putting this delicately, and frankly I don't care at this point" Lucario said and with a sad expression thought back to his very first encounter with a Pokémon, "… You're all animal to me. Friendly, but still animal."
"… Animal?" Pikablu repeated while crossing his arms in the usual manner, "Not sure what that means, but I'm guessing it's not good…"
"Anima…?" Zerobi said while remembering the expression from one of her occult magazines, "But… I don't understand…"
"Between eating berries, living out in the wild and being hunted by my own kind…" Lucario explained, every word tasting like another disgusting berry on his tongue, "If there's a train heading out of this life, I'm taking it."
"… Train?" Pikablu repeated, feeling like he had to parrot Lucario's every line to even understand them, "Do you EVER take anything seriously?"
"Only when I have to" Lucario responded coolly, "It's easier to deal with bad stuff when you've got a sense of humor about it."

The two of them stared each other down for a moment. While to everyone else this would seem like a hostile display, between the two of them they could see something new in the eyes of their counterpart.
Respect.

"Heh… You're an oddball, but I've befriended worse" Pikablu said with a smile as he walked up and patted Lucario's right leg, "Feel free to visit us once you've failed your mission."
"Psst…" Kabuta leaned in and whispered in Lucario's ear, "He means 'good luck'…"
"I know what it is like to be on a journey to find one's true self" Kabutops said as Pikablu backed off, "Hopefully, you will reach the same conclusion as I."
"Uh…" Kabuta mumbled while trying to make sense out of her father's sayings, "I think that means 'good luck', too."
"Yeah, I got all of that" Lucario chuckled while looking at Kabuta, "What about you?"
"I'll be… Fine" she replied with a less than confident tone in her voice, "You sure I can't come with you?"
"It wouldn't work" Lucario said quickly, "But don't worry - You're strong enough as it is. And if anyone asks, I'll tell them that you held me off with only one arm!"
"… Stupid…" Kabuta whispered to herself as she moved away from him with an angry and saddened face, "… I don't care about that…"

Lucario then looked at the tiny green Celebi floating next to the elegant black Weavile. Seeing any resemblance of family ties between them was impossible, and he silently wondered if he was not seeing it because he was not a Pokémon himself.

"Celebi" he said with courtesy, "Thanks for everything."
"You're welcome…" Celebi replied sadly, looking at Zerobi's downtrodden expression with sympathy. As the awkwardness was beginning to reach unbearable levels, Lucario felt that he had to do something about it.
"Hey hey, come on" he said while moving forward and boldly placing his hand on her shoulder, "Don't let it end like this. When did things get so awkward between us?"
"… Around the time that I almost killed you?" Zerobi replied slowly, looking at the hand on her shoulder and reliving the horrible moment.
"If this is how things are going to turn out, then you might as well have" Lucario said confidently before realizing what it sounded like outside his head, "... I mean, uh, from your perspective. Personally, I'm totally glad I didn't die."
"Lucario…" Zerobi said slowly while thinking back to their many moments together, "… I'm going to miss you. Is there really no way for you to stay?"
"Zerobi… I know you don't know me too well, but what do you expect from me?" Lucario asked in a calm manner, "I'm not a Pokémon, just a transformed man. Under regular circumstances, we wouldn't even understand each other, and that's the side of the fence I've always been on."
"… Heh" Zerobi snickered, deciding against pursuing her romance any further and instead make the best of their last few seconds together, "At the very least, I don't think I'll forget you."
"Ditto" Lucario replied cheerfully, happy to see his partner return to her former self, "Like I said, out of all these weirdoes… You're the best."

"Still, all of you…" Lucario said as he moved away from Zerobi and adjusted the backpack, "You're alright. Have good lives."
"… Just… Be careful!" Zerobi said, finally beginning to come to terms that this might be the last time she would see him, "If I hear that you were taken down five minutes after leaving…!"
"Ha ha ha!" Lucario laughed, "You take care of yourself, too." Lucario gave off a big smile before turning around, leaving his confident face as everyone's last impression.
"Pikablu! Viridian Forest!" Pikablu shouted at him, "Come around, we'll find something for you to eat that's not berries!"
"I'll get stronger, and we'll have a rematch!" Kabuta shouted as well, but felt too overcome by the moment to say what she really wanted to say, "Just… Come back, damn you!"

They watched Lucario as he left with the sun burning on his back, lighting up his yellow fur like a candle. Hearing everyone cheering for him made him feel good. When he heard them stop and start another conversation behind him, he felt the sudden urge to go back and join them. The idea of leaving them turned out to be much less strenuous to his rationality than actually doing it. But still he kept walking forward, knowing that turning around would only make it harder for all of them. Eventually he was able to erase all doubt from his mind by remembering what he really was, who he really was and why he was even there in the first place.

His newfound yet recently lost friends had already left his sight… But he knew that they would forever stay within his mind.

The vast plains between Route 216 and Eterna City are never still. The wide stretch of rustling grass would make any trainer shudder with anticipation as well as fear, seeing how miles upon miles of wilderness meant giving up the safety of having a Pokecenter nearby.

Even Pokémon find themselves thrust into battle at a moment's notice in this area. The long strands of grass in one particular area was put into especially violent motions, twisting left and right to accommodate with the two Pokémon moving around them.

A silenced thud was heard, forcing both the Pokémon to a complete stop. The first Pokémon, a canine with blue fur and short pants is standing on one leg while slowly retracting the other one from his opponent's head. The other Pokémon, a large beetle with a long horn sticking out of his bleeding face tried to keep himself focused, but failed as the impact from the blow struck his brain and made his vision become blurry.

"Agh…" the Heracross coughed, stumbling away and falling on his backside with his legs sticking up into the air.
"Alright, that makes twenty seven" Lucario said while calmly brushing off a drop of blood that had found its way onto his leg.
"… Haahh…" the Heracross sighed as he turned to his side and got back on his feet, "… Twenty seven-what?"
"You're the twenty seventh Pokémon to attack me for absolutely no reason" Lucario continued while developing a frown, "Out with it. What's your beef with me?"
"… Beef?" the Heracross repeated with confusion in his voice, "I just wanted a refreshing battle! Haven't got anything else planned for today!"
"Damn it, get a hobby or something!" Lucario snapped angrily, "I've got more important things to do than kick you around!"
"If you don't want to fight, just run away…" the Heracross said with a pout, disappointed that he had lost.
"I would, if not for the fact that it'd probably be more exhausting than beating up weaklings like you…" Lucario mumbled before turning around, showing no fear of being attacked from behind, "I'm leaving. Oh, and I won. Give me something."
"… Uh…" the Heracross said to himself while looking around before suddenly picking up a small blue object from the ground, "… Here, have an Oran berry!"
"… I don't want it…" Lucario whispered with disdain while throwing a quick glance behind him at the blue berry.
"Oh… Well…" the Heracross exclaimed while fidgeting around, seemingly wanting to say something, "… You know, I've been kind of lonely lately. Do you mind if I tag along for a bit?"
"PISS OFF!" Lucario roared at him while turning around and clenching his fist, "You attacked me out of nowhere! You've got four seconds to get out of here before I kill you!"
The Heracross was taken off guard by this and stumbled back a bit before running away in fear, disappearing within the tall grass.

"Ugh, what a tiresome bunch…" Lucario groaned to himself, missing the Pokémon like the small penguin or purple ball that would simply admire him instead of try to fight him.
"You're the one to talk" Lucario said with a wheezy voice, trying to impersonate Zerobi.
"Yeah, I sure am! Because…" Lucario to himself with his usual voice before sighing deeply, "… Nah, it just isn't the same…" He gave up on keeping conversation with himself and began walking once more, hoping that he would find Mew before dying of boredom.

A few weeks had passed since his last goodbye to his friends, even though he wasn't sure exactly how long ago it was since he had given up on counting the days after realizing he only had three fingers on each paw. Not because he kept count with them, but because the lack of hands made him too depressed to care. He had been half a second away from buying a set of pencils in Snowpoint City before Zerobi kindly reminded him that the only way he was going to use them was with his mouth or butt.

Thinking about the past kept him going forward, but with each step he found out that he missed his friends more and more. He snickered to himself when he realized that it was mostly his fault that he was alone, rejecting them like he had rejected the Heracross earlier. But taking Zerobi with him would pretty much have ruined her life, and taking Kabuta would have ruined his life judging by the stinky look Pikablu and Kabutops gave him the moment she bowed down to him.

As he wandered and imagined what the future held in store, he slowly began to realize that he had forgotten to ask the others what Mew actually looked like. Supposedly she would be the one to find him, but that did not stop him from wondering what she was like. He envisioned a large, old creature with a deep mighty voice, something befitting of the nickname "Big M".

Night had fallen before long, most normal Pokémon going to sleep while waking up their nocturnal counterparts. Lucario felt reluctant sleeping out in the open as he had been attacked in his sleep once or twice in the past, and kept moving to find a place to lodge.

As luck would have it he came upon a small cave, consisting of little more than an entrance and a single room of darkness. While not optimal, he knew that it would give him protection from more sides than sleeping in the grass.

He had spent the long day both walking and fighting, and he felt a bit too wound up to simply lie down and rest. Thinking to himself, he tried to figure out if he was tired enough to go to sleep or not. He didn't know and settled for the latter, deciding to sit on a large rock a couple of meters away from the cave before entering it.

Staring into the sky, he couldn't help but feel that most of his problems simply melted away one by one. Even if he was no longer human, the moon would always look at him with indifference. Although his friends were far away, they were under the same sky as he was. Should everyone shun their responsibilities and the entire world come to an end, the stars would still burn on with much greater significance than anything he could possibly do.

Lucario's back became prickled as he suddenly sensed a small aura appear out of nowhere. It approached him from behind, slowing down and veering off before colliding with him. Shakily turning his head around, Lucario saw a purple figure flap its wings as it set down next to him.

"Quite the pleasant evening, no?" a meek yet dignified voice escaped the new arrival. Lucario looked at it, but had trouble seeing what it was as it kept wings as large as its entire body wrapped around itself. It had a small head with very large ears and no visible eyes, and instead of legs he saw what looked like feelers sticking out under it. Even so, its most prominent feature was without a doubt its huge mouth with large fangs sticking out of the corners.

"Uh…" Lucario mumbled and was not sure of what to say, "It sure is, Mr. Bat."
"Miss, not mister" the purple bat corrected him, "And 'Zubat', not 'Bat'."
"… Zubat?" Lucario repeated, the name hitting a familiar note in his head, "Oh yeah… Aren't you supposed to suck my blood or something?"
"No, I had my fill from a less fortunate Clefairy not long ago" the Zubat explained with a subtle smile forming on her large mouth, "I just wish to enjoy the moon this fine evening."
"That's… Not the response I expected" Lucario said, still trying to find any sort of eyes on the strange bat to look into, "I kind of thought you'd bite me or something."
"I could call for my brethren, if you would prefer that…?" she sighed, turning her head away from the moon and towards the cave.
"Heh… Why not?" Lucario scoffed while thinking back to the many horror movies he had seen in his youth, "Bats go well with a full moon."
"Indeed…" the Zubat whispered calmly before looking back at the moon, Lucario following her suite. He wanted to return to his philosophizing, but felt that it would feel a little out of place when sitting next to a sentient bat with no eyes.

"I must say…" the Zubat said after a while, "My good intentions aside, you are treating me with far more respect than regular travelers."
"Well… You're classier compared to what everyone else told me" Lucario explained while grasping the absurdity of the situation, "… Personally, I never thought I'd be enjoying a quiet view of the nightly skies with a bat."
"… It's kind of nice" the Zubat whispered while looking up at the moon, Lucario trying harder than ever to see if she actually had any eyes to view it with.
"… Why blood?" Lucario asked as his eyes fastened upon her fangs, a weak hue of red still visible on their tips.
"When it comes to nutrition, nothing beats blood" the Zubat said without looking down from the moon, "A shame, but that is the way things are."
"I had a girlfriend like that, not long ago…" Lucario muttered to himself with a nod before realizing what he had just said, "… By which I mean a friend that just happened to be a girl! Nothing else!"

Lucario expected a response from the Zubat and groaned at the thought of having to explain everything, but was surprised as she instead ignored him. It caught him slightly off guard as he resumed his own viewing of the moon, trying his best to ignore her ignoring him.

They both remained quiet, simply enjoying the moment. The long day of travelling and action had made Lucario long for some tranquility, and silently staring at the moon while sitting next to the surprisingly sophisticated bat filled him with the serenity he desired. It removed his loneliness while at the same time making him content.

"Hey, you're pretty cool" Lucario said and broke the silence while looking at her, "Want to be my pet? You can ride on my shoulder and everything."
"Can I drink your blood periodically?" the Zubat asked nonchalantly.
"… If you must…" Lucario mumbled with a shudder, staring at her very obvious fangs.
"Relax, I'm joking" the Zubat snickered mysteriously, "I hate daylight. This cave is my home for a reason."
"Hmm…" Lucario muttered disappointedly, "It was worth a try."
"Feeling lonesome, wanderer Lucario?" the Zubat asked with another subtle smile appearing on her face.
"… A bit, maybe…" Lucario admitted.
"It'll pass" the Zubat said reassuringly, "Until then, just sit and enjoy this evening."

They were about to continue their evening of solitude as the silence was suddenly broken. Sensing several auras as well as hearing loud noises coming from the cave, Lucario turned his head and was shocked at what he saw.

A human boy had just exited the cave, surrounded by a swarm of aggressive Zubats and a strange small creature surrounded by a barrier. The boy had red hair and a thin indigo jacket, the first of which was ruffled and the latter of which was in tatters with bite marks and cuts showing through, as well as a set of Pokeballs hidden within various pockets. His skin was extremely pale, but for his face which was glowing with a fiery fury.

Without hesitation, the fuming trainer plucked one of the flying creatures out of the air, and punched it repeatedly on the face before throwing it to the ground and stomping furiously upon its sad remains.

"DAMN ZUBAT-JERKS!" the trainer yelled, "BEAT IT!"
"Hi hi hi!" the tiny creature giggled while flying around while still being surrounded by a powerful barrier, "That was fun! But master Silver, why did you not simply wish them away?"
"I wish I could wish YOU away!" Silver roared, flailing his arms around in anger. The rest of the swarm became frightened by this display of violence and dispersed.
"Um…" the small being mumbled while pondering his request, "… But that's a paradox! I don't think I would ever make myself disappear!"
"What a shame…" Silver muttered, smiling as the swarm backed off. He then became concerned as they stopped not far away, regrouping for another assault in revenge of their fallen comrade. The tiny creature that had been following him around for so long suddenly moved right in front of him and stared at him with a big smile, annoying him to no end.

The tiny creature itself was unremarkable, looking a little like a human fetus with white skin. However, on its head it seemed to be wearing a yellow hat that was shaped like a star, with green tags hanging by the edges. The hat reached down behind and far below the creature like two thin cloaks hanging by its sides. It had claimed to be the legendary Jirachi, but so far Silver had seen no sign of its supposed omnipotence and was convinced that someone was simply pranking him.

"Of course…" the Zubat sighed to herself with disdain, "Such a nice evening was too good to last…"
"Uh… Are they OK?" Lucario asked with a concerned voice as he saw the stomped Zubat lie twitching on the ground, "Should we go help them?"
"Zubat are resilient" she said without batting an eye (so to speak), "Besides, they're feeding. Move close and you will most likely be their new target."
"… Wait, they all came from in there?" Lucario asked, looking at the small cave that could not possibly fit half of what just left it.
"It is much larger on the inside" the Zubat explained calmly, "It goes underground."

"Master, look!" Jirachi suddenly shouted, staring directly at Lucario and the female Zubat. Silver reluctantly turned his head away from the dangerous swarm to look at the two of them.
"Master… His pants…" Jirachi continued as he sensed a familiar yet odd sensation emanating from them, "… They're really weird!"
"Hey, I don't want to hear that coming from some… Whatever you are" Lucario quickly replied.
"No spikes…" Silver muttered as his eyes lazily scrolled over Lucario before he quickly put his hands together, "… Oh! OH!"

Silver's eyes suddenly shot open as he straightened his back. A few particularly loud screeches escaped the swarm of Zubat not far away, but Silver completely ignored them.

"PERFECT!" Silver shouted while clenching his fist with dedication.
"… You want something with me, kiddo?" Lucario asked, thinking back to all the times he performed the same action and wondered if he looked as silly.
"He's asking what you want to do with him, master!" Jirachi chimed in, translating Lucario's words for Silver.
"Tell him that I'm going to catch him!" Silver responded confidently before lowering his voice to a mutter, "… Wait, why the hell am I talking to a Pokémon through another Pokémon!?"
"Um… My master is going to catch you!" Jirachi said with a smile, quite enjoying his new role as an interpreter.
"… Like, I understand him" Lucario muttered with annoyance.
"He says he understands you, master!" Jirachi told Silver, who clenched both his fists in response.
"Shut up!" he said while pulling out a single Pokeball from under his jacket, "Screw diplomacy! Prepare yourself, Lucario!"

Silver threw a red and white Pokeball towards Lucario who wasn't sure whether he was trying to catch him or bring out one of his own Pokémon. His question was answered as the ball split open in midair, revealing a large rat-like creature. It was purple like the Zubat but in a lighter shade and with a white stomach, and had two large fangs sticking out of its mouth.

"Oh" the Zubat said indifferently as she looked at the new arrival, "A battle."
"You know, where I'm from, kids don't summon monsters" Lucario muttered while quietly lamenting over his predicament, "Although, to be honest… If they could, they probably would."
"Typical" the Zubat sighed disappointedly, "I finally find a man who will listen, and he becomes captured by a trainer right away."
"Relax" Lucario replied confidently with a shrug, "I've got this. Its aura is pitifully weak."
"He's saying you're weak, master!" Jirachi suddenly exclaimed, looking at his trainer whose eyes darkened.
"WHAT!?" Silver burst out with anger, "Rattata, bite his legs off!"

The Rattata tried to growl, but it came off as a pathetic squeak instead. It ran up to Lucario with surprising speed before throwing itself at his right leg. Lucario responded by kicking the Ratatta so hard in the face that a cheekbone cracked, one of its teeth became chipped and it flew straight up into the air. He thought about following it up and spiking it down to the ground, but sensed that it had already gone unconscious. Instead, he waited for it to come down again, after which he grabbed its tail before it struck the ground.

"… Um, to be honest, I agree with him!" Jirachi said with a worried tone as he saw that Silver's mouth was agape.
"WHAT!?" he yelled while shaking his fist at the legendary Pokémon, "Mock me again, and I'll… I mean, I wish you would never… Do that… Thing you did… Evermore!"
"… Uh, you lost me after 'wish'!" Jirachi responded, trying to make sense out of what his trainer had just said.
"The main flaw in your plan was that in your attack, you attempted to rapidly place your head right next to the destructive force of my leg" Lucario explained in an overly complicated way while waving the Ratatta in his hand back and forth, "… If you didn't see this coming, get your eyes checked."
"Speaking of 'wish', there's still one way for you to win…" Jirachi kept going while not so subtly hinting at something.
"FINE!" Silver growled "Jirachi, I wish for you to defeat that Lucario!"
"Nothing could be easier!" Jirachi giggled, moving away from his trainer as he slowly approached Lucario.

"Oh?" Lucario said cockily while holding up the Ratatta, "Want to beat this thing's flying record?"
"I already have!" Jirachi answered happily while adjusting his height so that he was on the same level as Lucario. Meanwhile, Lucario felt encumbered by the Ratatta and threw it to his side. He could barely sense any aura from his new opponent and had already started planning for something witty to say after the fight.
Jirachi settled in midair a fairly long distance away from Lucario, having found the perfect spot to start the battle from. He looked at his trainer for a moment before finally building enough confidence to begin his attack.

"Zen Headbutt!" Jirachi exclaimed cheerfully, surrounding himself with a white aura of energy before flying towards Lucario like a speeding bullet. The incredible fastness of the attack took Lucario completely off guard, the small legendary connecting with his chest before he even knew what had happened.

Lucario felt his ribs shatter and pierce the surrounding muscle tissue as an explosion of blood poured out of his mouth. The force of the attack make his toenails rattle, and was comparable to how he imagined being hit by a car would feel like. Flying back several meters, the mountain he crashed into felt like a soft bedpan compared to the blow he had just received.

He could still hear some voices surrounding him, but was too dazed to make any sense out of them. Pitifully still on the ground in a growing pool of his own blood, he waited for someone to come rescue him.
"… Zerobi…?" he mumbled, remembering that she had been reunited with her sister. Her final words of worry echoed through his head. A small penguin appeared in his mind, smiling at him before suddenly becoming abducted by the cackling silhouette of a madman. A short vision of Kabuta standing alongside with the Gallade and Pikablu showed itself afterwards, the massive wound on his chest working in contrast to the memory of Celebi's warm healing.

Slowly he realized that he was all alone. Using the last of his strength to look up, he saw what seemed like a cloud of darkness surrounding the trainer and his Pokémon. A bright, white light suddenly cut through it, sending small winged dots flying in every direction.

After that, a spinning Pokeball came flying at him, crashing into his forehead and knocking him out.

- - - - - - - - - - -

"M-Miss Rukario! Are you leaving already!?"

"..."

"No! Don't leave! Stay!"

"... Forgive me, but there is someone else out there that needs me."

"You just fought off three enemies... Surely you can't go out like this...?"

"I've... Survived worse."

"R-Rukario..."

"You shouldn't cry, Tera. I'll come back again."

"..."

"... What?"

"... Zagrim told me that Arceus painted you."

"..."

"..."

"He did."

"...!"

"... He painted you, as well."

"...?"

"Arceus is a very mighty being, with many different colors to choose from. He simply cannot settle with just one set for each Pokemon!"

"R-Really? How... How do you know?"

"... Someone very important to me told me that, once."

"...?"

"..."

"At any rate, you saved our lives. You are welcome to come back whenever you feel like it."

Life… Life is unpredictable. We're all but ragdolls, thrown around by the hands of fate. Heck, I'm not even sure that I'll finish writing this before something happens that completely changes my situation! I might succumb to a deadly disease I knew nothing about… Get caught by some kid possessing an unhealthy obsession with the daycare center… Or a legendary Pokémon might just stumble upon my humble home!

Crazy? I'll have you know that the latter actually happened to me barely a year ago. I remember it like it was yesterday, but even so it seems like the event occurred ages ago…

Another night of… Whatever I used to do back then to kill time. Everything I did besides building the place was pointless, that's for sure. Anyway, I remember hearing a small thud right outside the hut. Nothing special, probably just a Pidgey settling down for a moment. I wasn't lonely enough to invite a complete stranger in for homemade poffins in exchange for some company…

… Alright, so maybe I was. That's not the point. The lack of wing fluttering told me that whoever had landed outside was still there, so I hastily put on my cool face and went outside, seeing if I could charm whoever it was.

My first sight told me that "whoever" was a definition that would stick with this Pokémon a while longer. On the ground was a small Pokémon, clutching her abdomen in pain. This is before I had served her any homemade poffins, mind you! She appeared to be a Grass-type, with green skin and some kind of growth stick out of her head. She had very small, barely visible wings sticking out of her back, and some kind of antennae on her forehead.

"What's wrong?" I asked to see why she was in such pain, but my words only seemed to increase it. In an instant she twitched, looking up at me with her big, blue eyes…

Ah, those eyes…! A perfection of color, placing sapphire in front of her serene green body to create a picture of harmony and purity! Crystal clear even in the middle of the night! It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen, and needless to say I was taken back by her response.

"W-Who are you!?" she growled between gasps, failing to make her sweet and sugary voice sound intimidating, "Go away!"
"Uh…" I stammered, being too paralyzed to do anything.
"Get out of here! Leave me alone!" she shouted and started to rise up from the ground.
"No, wait! I…" I started as I became worried that she would fly off and disappear into the night once more.

Instead, she collapsed to the ground, seemingly overtaken by pain. I hadn't noticed it before, but the crystal clarity in her eyes seemed to come from the fact that they were being cleansed by tears.

"No… Not like this…" she cried to herself, "I-I am not ready yet…"
"I'm just trying to help!" I told her with sincerity, "You look so pained… There must be something I can do!"
"There is nothing you can do…" she said with bitterness towards both me and herself, "This night will be my last…"
"Were you attacked!? Someone struck your stomach!?" I shouted out, trying to guess my way as to why she was holding her stomach so tightly, "Wait, did you ingest poison!? I have a whole stack of Antidotes right inside m-"
"I'M GIVING BIRTH, YOU DOLT!" she finally screamed at me, shutting me up. I can't exactly remember what my response was, but I'm sure it went something like this:

"Oh… Oh? Oh!" I blurted out, "YIKES!"

Hey, I thought she had just sprained her ankle or something… Alright, so far it's pretty uncool, but just wait until you see what I did next!

"That's… But… Like…" I stammered as my brain put two and two together, "… Water! And stuff! I've got it all inside!"
"Just… Leave me alone…" she responded, sounding far weaker than earlier before and shrill scream escaped her. The poor girl's voice said "no", but her writhing on the dirty soil gave off another message.
"Sure…" I said, bending over and carefully picking her up. I am a Weavile, so I had to hold her with my arms as not to get her cut with my sharp claws.
"What are you doing!?" she yelled at me, "Put me do-ARGH!"

I brought her inside my home, despite her complaining and screaming all the way. All the time I held back making any snappy retorts… Because, well, I was not the one in severe pain.

"See!?" I shouted while hiding my annoyance after finally placing her on my bed of moss and straws, "Beats the ground, doesn't it!?"
"I'll die, either way" she pouted, still protesting my actions in a sense.
"Don't say that!" I told her, "It's bad luck!"
"Luck? LUCK!?" she screamed back at me, "I'll tell you what it was, a bad f-"
"Hey, don't give up until it's over!" I interrupted her, "You really want your child to grow up in a world without a mother!?"

Hearing this seemed to calm her anger. However, I had no time to feel satisfied with myself as her anger became replaced with despair.

"… Or a father… Or anyone…" she spoke quietly, not even once having released her grip of her abdomen, "I… Will be dead before I can even see her…"
"Keep talking like that, and maybe…" I started, but halted myself when I saw that she was in much more need of reassurance than I was, "… No. I'm here with you. I won't let that happen."
"You can't stop it. No one can…" she continued with sadness, "I knew that, but still…"

She trailed off, and we were left in silence. I realized that despite my initial thoughts of bringing her inside to help her out, there was nothing I could do.

"My species… They die when they give birth" she whispered slowly while giving her own stomach a tighter grip, "My mother died giving birth to me, as her mother did with her… Not until now do I realize what she-ARGH!"
Another pang of pain suddenly struck her, tears flowing down her cheeks. No matter my many accomplishments in life, seeing this poor woman in such agony made me feel as helpless as a Magikarp.

"There… There must be something I can do to help…" I said.
"T-Too late… My powers are already disappearing…" she whispered with a weak smile as she had a dreamy stare on her face, "Can't fly… Or sense… Anything… Anymore…"
"… Sense?" I repeated while trying to figure out why she had gotten such an odd expression all of a sudden, "… You can still see me, right?"
"… Yes…" she whispered slowly, not averting her eyes from the ceiling.
"Well, as long as you see me, that means you're still alive!" I shouted right in her face as her vacant stare made me worried that she was actually dying, "And if you're alive… YOU'RE ALIVE, DAMN IT!"

She instantly snapped out of it, seemingly coming back to life. She looked at me with a surprised face before throwing her head back again, screaming from the pain.

"Sorry, but I don't think I'd be a lot of help down there…" I said, lamenting over the sharp claws only the truly ignorant would ever define as 'hands'.
"You… Why…?" she gasped before giving off a higher pitched wail than ever before.
"Water… Poffins… I'll get you anything you want!" I tried to reassure her as she suddenly lifted her arm towards me.
"No… Stay…" she whispered weakly, her arm shaking more and more with each passing second, "I… I don't want to…"
"Hey! HEY!" I shouted while carefully poking her chin, "Don't give up! Focus on me!"
"… S… Sorr…" she started, but was unable to finish as her voice finally gave out. Her eyelids fell in what seemed like slow motion as her breathing started coming in weakly. Then, her arm fell to the ground as her body suddenly turned limp.

'A turning point of fate' is a term that has remained in my life for as long as I can remember.

Seeing this woman dying before me while giving birth to a child, I was finally able to give it a definition.

Seeing those beautiful eyes brimming with life close for the last time, I was finally able to hate it.

"No! NO!" I remember shouting while halting myself from holding on to her and possibly cutting her, "I… I won't let it happen!"

The future showed me a single clear path. As such, the time had come to alter fate. A technique as forbidden as it was secret existed within me. I knew that its results would vary, and consequences could be detrimental… But I also knew that it had greater chance of success than doing nothing.

The first YEARS of learning about the technique was spent learning me that using it to steal life was wrong. WELL, DUH! They're the ones to talk, stealing away MY life by cluttering up my childhood with such stupid… At any rate, while actually using it is strictly forbidden, exceptions had been made in the past. It doesn't create or destroy life… It just… Moves it around a bit.

Whether she was already dead or just unconscious, she was lucky to not have to see anything as I used my left claw to tear up my right arm. Screaming in pain while crouched next to this girl who was literally DYING seemed a little out of place, so I grit my teeth and kept quiet. My blood was filled up with both my life and my will, and I knew I could rely on it to handle the rest as I let it drip onto her body.

Suddenly, she stopped breathing. Noticing that she was running out of time, I gave up on holding back and started rubbing my right arm against her, smearing blood all over her.

The blood seeped into her, disappearing under her skin as I started feeling woozy. Doubt struck me as I asked myself whether I should stop as to not succumb to death as well, or go all the way and be at the very least be able to save her…

My question answered itself as her eyes shot open once more.
"I… GAH!" she started, interrupting herself with a gasp of pain.
"Welcome back…" I said.
"What- AH!" she tried to continue, the pain seemingly coming on stronger than before now that she wasn't close to death anymore, "I feel- ARGH!"
"I'll explain later…" I mumbled as I sat down to recover from my blood loss. This technique, referred to as 'Blood Magic' by some, is a little too complicated to explain… So I'll just summarize this next part as 'I ordered the blood to crawl back into my veins'.

The rest of the birth went smooth
Was beautif

Alright, I'll be honest - It was hell on both of us, more so her than me I'd imagine. But when it was all said and done, we had something to show for it… In my case, her. In her case…

"What's her name?" I asked her as she was lovingly cradling a baby that looked very similar to herself.
"I… Haven't thought of that" she said with a weak smile hiding her newfound strength, "I was supposed to die… And she was supposed to inherit my name…"
"… What's your name?" I asked, trying to ignore the fact that the baby had an aura surrounding it that was rapidly changing colors, passing it off as something normal. All I knew was that I was NOT up for elongating this trying night even further.
"… Celebi" she replied, still smiling.
"Celebi…" I repeated, the name hitting a familiar note in my ears but her eyes striking a different, stronger one, "A pretty name. Can't be used enough…"

The scene will forever be burnt into my mind. Celebi, the beautiful Pokémon, lying in my bed while holding her baby close to her. Knowing that I had a hand in keeping both of them alive made me feel like the best. Still, the name left a nagging feeling in the back of my head which I couldn't shake…

"Heh, the same name as that legendary Pokémon, right?" I chuckled.
"Um…" she said while looking up at me, "About that…"

If you have ever been told by the woman you just helped deliver a baby that she's actually a legendary Pokémon, you should know my reaction well. Since you probably haven't… Well, I'll leave that part out anyway, since it's not something I'm very proud over. The good news is, I took care of her anyway, for almost a month before one of her friends (Tefay) found her and picked her up.

She could easily have left me there and then, but pleaded that I be brought with her. At the time I didn't realize that we were falling in love and thought they were going to silence me for 'knowing too much', but…

… Aw crap, I just ruined the whole romantic part, didn't I? I guess that's something you can read in HER memoirs! OK, fine, so maybe I'm not so good at expressing myself… But seriously! Living together with such a kind, beautiful, loving, intelligent, caring and fun Pokémon… You work out what happened!

To be honest… I had no chance. Just being near her was enough to bring me delight from the moment she struck me with her killing glance. She radiates and aura of love and positivity that fills me with joy every day… Literally. As a Dark-type I am unaffected by it, but the energy her body exudes is nothing compared to the happy feelings our love brings.

I'll finish up this part later, but currently Celebi is expecting our first… And her second baby. I actually dissuaded her from having another one, since... Well, I don't want anything to happen to her. But… She really loves little Celebi. She wants her to have a sister or brother so badly… I just hope…

To be honest, I am sad at heart and insecure. She's suffered enough… She tells me that we are "bound together" and that "everything will turn out fine", but… But…

… But who am I to judge her? I should be the one to trust her. These are all feelings I had better not show, I don't even know why I'm writing this… Pretty rude of me, eh? (If you're reading this - No hard feelings, sweetie. I can see that you really need me now, and as long as that's the case I won't surrender!)

Anyway, like I said I'll finish up this part later, but just know that… Celebi has made me the happiest Weavile in the whole world!

"… And that concludes the memoirs of our father" Celebi said, closing the book and using her psychic powers to put it back on the shelf.
"… That's it?" Zerobi asked while snapping out of her trance, "Wait, what happened then!?"
"You" Celebi replied with a faint smile, "Mom did not survive the second birth, and our father… Either left her or died as well."
"That's…" Zerobi muttered sadly, "… No one knows?"
"Tefay was the one found you and mother's body" Celebi explained while thinking back, "… She herself died a few years back after giving birth to Azelf, Mesprit and Uxie… Simultaneously, might I add."
"… Huu…" Zerobi shuddered at the thought, "… Am I going to die if I give birth, too?"
"Don't worry!" Celebi exclaimed with cheer, "We fairies die because our powers are transferred to our child, leaving us helpless. You had no such powers to begin with!"
"But… What about you?" Zerobi asked with concern in her voice.
"… I'm… Different…" Celebi whispered sadly to herself before perking up, "… But who needs a baby when you've got a sister?"
"Hey… Sis…" Zerobi said slowly while choosing her words carefully, "That whole 'Blood Magic' thing…"

She was worried when it came to talking about that subject. Family or not, she knew there was no way anyone (including herself) could forgive the crimes she had committed in the past. Even so, she had to know…
"Yes…" Celebi said, "I remembered that passage of the memoirs well when Pikablu told me what had happened."
"Is there any way to get rid of it?" Zerobi asked bluntly, having wished for nothing more after the destruction of Evolution's Gate.
"To be honest, I know very little about it" Celebi explained while looking at Zerobi, "I'll have to do some research… Uh, with your body."

Celebi then twitched and started waving her arms back and forth.
"Ah! That sounded creepy!" she said with a panicked look on her face, "Sorry! But that's the way-"
"I get it" Zerobi groaned, having been needlessly apologized to many times in the past week, "I don't mind. I'll do anything to fix this…"
"Then I'll get started right away!" Celebi exclaimed as she regained her usual cheerful demeanor, "Sit still for a while, so I can chart out your genetic code!"
"… How long will it take?" Zerobi asked while leaning back.
"About three days!" Celebi replied obliviously before placing her arms in front of her, "Now, be ABSOLUTELY still…"
"… Ugh…" Zerobi groaned again as she decided to lie down for the procedure. She was suddenly overcome by tiredness from the long day and her eyes closed, her mind filled to the brim with the story she had just been told…

… This nightmare seems rather familiar.

Ah, yes. Celebi… The insipid Weavile… I remember it all.
Rarely do I make my appearance. Rarely is my appearance called for. As such, I remember this event quite well.

The beautiful cycle of life and death that graces the fairy legendaries had been broken. No inherent ability, skill nor luck had ever caused such to happen. Should an army of those tiny psychics appear, my position and plans might be compromised…

Investigation as well as action was required. Monitoring her dreams for some time, I decided on the perfect time of attack - During Celebi's second birth. To bear witness to this perversion of their species… And prevent it.

Undetected I moved to their location. A primitive structure, providing no protection from me whatsoever. It is as if the other legendaries wished for me to end her as much as I did.

A Weavile stood before me. Bearing some childhood trauma from his abusive parents, and carrying with him a fear of Bug-types. Nothing that needed to be abused for this simple encounter.

"W-Who're you…?" he asked, sweet fear escaping his every pore.
"Darkrai…" I whispered slowly, acting with grace to instill him with a false sense of security, "Move…"
"I won't let you have her!" he screamed before cutting into himself. I beheld the technique of blood magic being used against me. That was a surprise. However, as he soon found out, using a technique against the being that once created it is nothing short of a fatal mistake.

"… Why…?" he whimpered after the short battle was over. I picked him up with my arms, hoping to draw more fear from him.
"Take me… Leave her al-" he started, but remembering my original purpose there I snapped him in half. His resistance was comparable to that of a twig. Blood splattered my physical manifestation, and dripped to the ground as I reverted to my original form.

Entering the primitive house, the distinct lack of anything is what struck me first. For an instant I thought that I had been tricked by the Weavile, before seeing the empty husk of Celebi in the corner, a wailing baby in her grasp.

Seems my intervention was not necessary, after all.

Observing the room to ascertain myself that the deed was done, I noticed something peculiar regarding the baby. A Dark-type, like me… No psychic abilities… No supernatural traits… Just a regular Pokémon. Had I known this would be the spawn of a dying fairy, I would never have worried myself over it.

It cried. Not out of fear, but out of instinct. Untainted by fear, untainted by the world surrounding it. Feeling that this trip had been nothing but a waste, I decided to try a little experiment. Removing the child from her corpse of a mother, I filled her up with as much darkness as I could muster. If the slaughter of today would not deter the coming generation of fairies from not dying, this hellspawn of evil most certainly would. T'was far from a pleasant evening, but…

Whose nightmare is this? No one from that encounter was left alive, except for…

…

… Ah.

My, how time flies. Enjoying your nightmare, young Weavile? Cling on to life... And you may relive it!

"… Jirachi, I wish for you to use Hypnosis!" the other voice says, and I remember the angry trainer who in hindsight I probably should not have underestimated and instead snapped his neck the moment he appeared.

"Your wish is my command, master!" the voice belonging to the creature responsible for my death chimes. That dirty little jerk, attacking when my guard was down! I swear… If I survive this… I'll…

…

Ahh… Wind whisks by me, soothing the pain of my wound…

… Not really, though. More like creeping into my body, and… Wait, where the hell am I now!?

"Holy crap, he's waking up again!" the voice from earlier says. I open my eyes, but all I see is a rapidly changing mixture of white and blue.

I'm getting sick of this. Alright, my eyes are beginning to adjust… A hospital? Perfect. Sow me up and let's get the hell out of here.

"Don't hold back!" the first voice says, "He's built up a resistance against sleep!"

So give me a bloody medal for it. The 'bloody' part comes from hanging it around my neck in me current state, heh heh…

… I really am going to die? That sucks… Everything's… Slipping away…

…

Urr…

"He's… He's waking up!"

No kidding. How long was I out this time?

"Hmm… They said he'd be out for a week."

… That long?

"S-Security! We've got a wild Pok-"

Oh, hey… My chest! It's… It's healed!

"Shut up! Throw him in the cage!"

UGH! Hey, careful! I'm still recovering…

"There, problem solved… If you think I'm losing my reputation over this mutt…"

Lying on the cold hard ground, Lucario heard the two people behind him walk away. He tried to get up, but his limbs felt they had not been used for days and were completely powerless. Before his vision was nothing but darkness, which did not dissipate even as his sight began to improve. Turning his head in confusion he saw a large door close not far away, but it was obscured by long and thick strands of grey.

For a moment he thought that like the rest of his body his eyes had been damaged, but shifting his head a little he saw that there were in fact several tall, solid objects between himself and the door. His sight focused with each passing moment until he was able to make out that the objects were bars, slowly realizing that he was viewing the inside of a cage.

Lowering his head down to the ground, Lucario felt torn between taking a nap and simply dying. However, his lamentations were cut short as a new voice came from in front of him and let him know that he was not alone in his cell.

"… Hello?" the voice came in front of him, "New guy?" Looking up from his pathetic state, he saw what was sharing this cell with him. At first he had trouble seeing where the elongated creature began and ended, but when it suddenly uncoiled itself he could see that it had the shape of a snake. Its body carried the color of that ocean, and it had a small horn protruding from its forehead.

Lucario instinctively sprung up and was about to back away before remembering that a snake probably wouldn't talk to him if it was going to attack him. The blue serpent closed its eyes and inhaled sharply, again worrying him that its feral behavior would lead to a fight.

"… A male" the azure Pokémon said with a slightly mischievous tone before opening its eyes and looking at him, "Can you speak?"

"… Of course" Lucario answered in a cautious way.

"Then please do…" it said as something reminiscent of a frown appeared on its face, "I have been alone in here for so long…"

"…" Lucario said nothing before sitting down, the hint of genuine sadness in the snake's voice making him drop his guard, "… What're you in for?"

"… Getting caught…?" it replied with a confused voice, "What, are you in here for a reason?"

"Nah, same thing…" Lucario said with a shrug, happy to feel that his shoulders were back in place, "Do you know where we are?"

"No" the Pokémon responded quickly while shaking its head slightly, seemingly trying to wake itself up, "But humans experiment with us, so don't expect mercy of any kind."

"Experiment…" Lucario repeated bitterly before remembering more of what the snake had just said, "… Us?"

Looking around the cage, Lucario saw a small creature attached to one of the corner bars. It looked like a cocooned insect of some sort, a shell with brown color and no remarkable features. Its eyes were closed, and it was shaking irregularly, creating a weak rattling sound against the steel.

"What the… What's up with him?" Lucario asked, the shaking of the Pokémon looking both unnatural and painful.

"He's… Gone" the serpent sighed depressingly, "He's been sitting in that corner ever since I ended up here, never saying or doing anything."

The snake was now fully uncoiled and had its upper body effortlessly lifted from the ground. Lucario noticed a set of round ornaments attached under its chin as well as tail, reminding him of Zerobi's yellow jewel which she claimed to be organic. The thought of these balls being the same made him shudder.

"Listen, I've seen enough prison movies to know where this is heading" Lucario growled as the snake's movements had not gone unnoticed, "I may look weakened, but don't try anything. I can either be your friend, or the guy who crushes your skull."

The snake suddenly reared back in terror, Lucario realizing what he had just said and wondering if he had misread the situation.

"… Sorry. I'm not in a good mood" Lucario said slowly while looking at the frightened Pokémon.

"That's… Understandable" it replied while its expression calmed down a bit.

"Grah, I'm so hungry I could die!" Lucario suddenly burst out, his stomach growling and making him finally notice that it was like an empty pit at this point, "When and what do they feed us?"

"Never or nothing, whichever you prefer…" the Pokémon said before ending with another sigh.

"… What!?" Lucario gasped, his frustration being replaced with worry as he looked over the slender serpent, "How many days have you been here?"

"No clue. There's no 'day' or 'night' in here…" it said while lowering its upper body to the ground once more, "… Much too long. Much too long…"

They became silent after that, giving Lucario some time to check on his injuries. Quietly rustling through the fur on his chest, he noted several scars upon it, but was unsure which of them were new and which of them were old. It was as if some of his scars had been scarred!

Something felt amiss on his back, and reaching back he noticed that his backpack was gone. He thought that whoever brought him here must've taken it somewhere else. A feeling of utter dread struck him as he instantly looked down, but he became relieved to see that his pants were still there.

"… I miss the outside" the depressing creature suddenly said to itself, "Never thought that I would go from flying around the world to dying in a cage…"

"Hmm…" Lucario mumbled as something in the snake's previous statement perked his interest, "You… You can fly?"

"Yes" it answered with a nod, "I know it's rare for a Dragonair, but I've always been able to."

"Whoa…" Lucario said with amazement, "… Awesome!"

Lucario could hardly believe it until he tried to replace the giant emerald serpent in his memories with the sapphire one in front of him now. It wasn't long until the new thought was replaced with the image of himself soaring through the sky, riding a draconic steed with a shining armor and an impressive lance in his hands.

"Hey, can I ride you?" Lucario suddenly asked the Dragonair who was slightly taken aback by his boldness, "When we get out, that is! I've always wanted to be able to fly!"

"Oh…" the Dragonair said with disappointment, "Sorry, I don't think I can carry your weight."

"Give me a few weeks in here with no food and that won't be a problem…" Lucario muttered, his spirits sinking once more.

"You can ride me here anytime, you know…" the Dragonair whispered while trying to give off as seductive a look as she could muster with her waning energy.

"Nah" Lucario replied while looking up to their confinement's ceiling which was only a few feet above their heads, "I'd rather wait until we get more room… You know, if we get out…"

They both slumped down to the floor, giving up on whatever they were planning at the moment as the reality of the situation sunk in once more. It slowly dawned on Lucario that even after all his effort of dodging both master trainers and law enforcement, he had ended up in the place he had been trying to avoid all this time. He wondered if the only difference between getting caught now and having gotten caught earlier was that he wouldn't have been captured alone, and wouldn't be sharing this cage with only the serpent and strange bug-type right now.

"Hey" Lucario said as he was unable to stop himself from feeling worried, "… Do you think we're going to die?"

"I hope not" the Dragonair answered with a distressed look while trying to reassure herself, "I have a little brother out there I need to get back to."

"Huh" Lucario exclaimed without knowing how to respond, "… Bummer. Or wait, maybe that's a good thing…?"

"… Our mother was very protective of us" the Dragonair continued while still keeping her chin on the ground, "He needs a big sister like me when it comes to sneaking outside, and…"

"Ah, so you're fe…" Lucario started, but stopped himself when he remembered that so far his inability to tell Pokémon's genders had gotten him into nothing but trouble. Pissing off his only sentient cellmate seemed like a bad idea.

"… I guess this is the kind of thing mother used to warn me about…" the Dragonair whispered to herself, looking longingly beyond the steel bars.

The bars were set so tight that nothing short of liquid could escape the cage, yet were still strong enough to withstand anything she was able to conjure up. Every attempt at escape had left her with failure as well as a reduced amount of stamina, every ounce of which was now the only thing keeping her alive.

"What about you?" the Dragonair asked in yet another attempt to distract herself from her dying state, "Do you have anyone on the outside?"

"… No" is all Lucario had to say, choosing to ignore the many Pokémon he had encountered on his journey as he had at one point or another abandoned them.

"Heh" the Dragonair exclaimed quietly, "Knew it the moment I saw you."

"Nothing bad, just…" she said while giving off a very faint smile, "… You've got that alpha male feel about you."

The Dragonair felt herself exhausted for some reason. Not having eaten anything for so long had left her barely able to hold on to life, which in itself was a struggle due to the deep hunger that seemed to slowly be shutting down her body. She had spent a very long time in the cage just lying on the floor without anyone to talk to. She had also given up hope and placed herself in a state of hibernation, lying around like a discarded tool, but seeing another Pokémon like this had brought her back to who she once was.

"Us Pokémon, huh…" she said and sighed longingly, "We make friends and try to raise a family only to get caught and used as playthings for some human…"

"Too intelligent. Too civilized…" the Dragonair whispered while holding her voice steady to prevent a stutter, "… You'll see what I mean once the experimenting starts…"

Little by little the fear started coming back to her. The thought of ending her life in this dark room was enough to get her heart beating in desperation once more, her eyes tearing up as a reflex when she realized just how likely that scenario was becoming.

"I-I'm so scared!" she cried desperately before lounging against Lucario, "I… I don't want it to end this way! I want to see the light of day again!"

"Ugh!" Lucario exclaimed while getting ready to throw her off at a moment's notice should she attempt to coil herself around him any further, "Calm down! I don't need you getting all touchy-feely!" Lucario noticed that her skin felt a bit raspy, and noticed that she was actually covered by very tiny scales.

"Listen, I know it's a long shot…" Lucario said slowly as he began to feel empathy for his fellow captive, "But I know my way around humans. If there's a way out of here, I'll find it… And if not, I'm strong enough to make one!"

"… Empty words…" the Dragonair muttered with sadness before letting go of Lucario and sinking down to the floor, "… Still better than what that Ninjask is doing, I suppose…"

"… Well, I obviously can't guarantee his safety" Lucario said with a shrug, "But you? Yeah, sure, I'll include you in my escape."

As if on cue, the door to the room they were in slowly opened. The two of them perked up as the shadow of a human entered. It was now that Lucario realized just how poorly lighted the room was outside of their cage, and he could not make out any features of the human.

Lucario knew that the scientist could not have heard of his plans for escape, but started worrying slightly more when he saw the silhouette of a Pokémon appearing behind him. He was unable to see just what kind of Pokémon it was, but it was fairly large and had an aura so intense that it made him tremble slightly.

The closer the human got to the cage, the more visible he became. It was a man, dressed in a large white robe and wearing thick glasses. However, the rest of his appearance quickly slipped through Lucario's mind when the man suddenly pulled out a small key from under his robes.

"Get ready…" Lucario mumbled while eyeing the scientist intently, "Four-eyes here will be known as 'black-eyes' very soon…"

"Ugh… If he says 'Hypnosis', I think I might go crazy" Lucario muttered with disdain while scanning the layout of the room in case he got the chance to make a hasty escape.

"Looks like this one might have some psychic abilities, after all…" the scientist said quietly with a melancholic expression, "Alakazam, use Hypnosis."

"… Wait, what!?" Lucario suddenly shouted as he realized that the scientist had replied to his comment, "Hey, did you just understand what I said!?"

"He's putting us to sleep…" the Dragonair whispered sadly with tears remaining in the corner of her eyes, "It's no use…"

"Like hell it is!" Lucario burst out as flashbacks from his earlier incapacitation struck him, "I've been hit by this so many times, I've built up a resistance to it! I won't go down this time!"

He stared angrily at the odd Pokémon, before realizing that doing that might increase the attack's effect. He looked away with fists clenched and rage summoned up in his head, fighting against any drowsy feeling that might arise.

He did not feel the attack hit him, but noticed its effects after only a few seconds. He could actually feel his brain shutting down, thoughts taking a long time to connect and make sense. A few moments later he started lying down, having completely forgotten why he was fighting against his sleepiness.

Looking behind him, he saw the Dragonair's immobile body lying on the ground. An ominous feeling struck him, but was quickly overtaken by tiredness as his vision darkened even though his eyes were open, and his eyelids began to give way against his will…

When Lucario woke up, he was alone. Slowly rising to his feet while feeling a hammering headache, he noticed that he was still in the cage. Looking around he saw that his only company was the odd cocoon from earlier, still hugging the same corner with no signs of stopping its spastic movement.

"… Quit mocking me…" Lucario mumbled at it before clutching his forehead. No matter how much he resisted he had fallen asleep, and it filled him with shame as he remembered the promise he had made to the female snake.

He did not have to worry long. The door he had eyed earlier on suddenly opened as two men walked through it, carrying the Dragonair between them. Lucario saw his chance as one of them pulled out a key and unlocked the cage, and made a quick dash for them. However, his legs were still getting used to getting used, so they didn't quite register the commands from his brain and he stumbled forward.

"Here! Catch!" one of the men yelled mockingly as they threw the Dragonair at him, the light weight of the creature just barely giving him any recoil.

"Congrats!" the other man laughed while catching his breath, "Ya caught yerself a Pokémon!"

Lucario decided that the best comeback would be to introduce the man's face to his fist and close relative elbow, but by the time he had pushed the Dragonair aside and started running the cage had been locked once more, the two men disappearing through the door they arrived from.

The Dragonair lifted its head from the ground and looked at him with a dazed expression.

"Oh well, at least you're back" Lucario snickered while feeling somewhat relieved, "I thought I was going to be stuck alone with this chatterbox forever!"

He pointed at the bug Pokémon sitting in the corner, but the Dragonair's eyes became transfixed upon his finger instead.

"Sorry, I guess I took a little nap…" Lucario said while scratching his head in embarrassment, "But the next time… I'll kick their asses for sure!"

The Dragonair still had the same frozen expression, before her eyes drifted back to the ground again.

"… It was bad, wasn't it?" Lucario asked, secretly getting a bit annoyed at not receiving an answer, "What happened?"

Again the Dragonair gave no response, and instead begun slithering backward.

"Hey…" Lucario mumbled as the ominous feeling from earlier arose once more, "Hey! Can you hear me?"

The Dragonair shuddered a bit before slumping down in the corner. A few moments later, it started shaking.

"HEY! Come on, quit messin' around! This isn't funny!" Lucario yelled as he moved towards the Dragonair and grabbed a hold of her. She continued shaking, making the raspy scaled cause a few scratches on the inside of Lucario's paws. He suddenly realized his fallacy in trying to shake some sense into her as a noise from behind distracted him. Looking around, he saw the bug Pokémon sitting in its corner, giving off the same pained spastic movements as the Dragonair.

"Oh… Oh no…" Lucario said to himself while letting go of the Dragonair, who instantly curled herelf up before resuming her trembling, "… What did they do to you?" Just a few moments ago, this creature had poured her heart out to him, dreaming of being set free to reunite with her younger brother and mother. She had looked at him with weak yet hopeful eyes when he told her he would be able to save her…

All he saw in them now was utter agony. An unending haze of suffering. These eyes were unlike anything he had ever seen before, but seemed familiar somehow…

The shocked face of Rukario as he betrayed her.

The reflection of Zerobi's empty soul as he let her kill him.

The hateful glare of Ivy as all hope faded and they began their fight to the death.

The pained expression of Kabuta as she lost her arm as he lay useless on the ground.

The panicked stare of the small penguin as he left her to suffer the same fate he was now enduring.

The cold dead eyes of the snake that had relied on him, twisting and turning worse than her body as he sits there and can do nothing about it.

It filled him with wrath unlike any other he had felt before.

"HEY!" he yelled while punching the bar in front of him with all his might, "WHAT DID YOU DO TO THEM!? I'LL KILL YOU, YOU… YOU…"

The bar remained both intact and indifferent to his plight. Lucario felt the body in his grasp rock back and forth as he noticed his own fists were shaking in anger. Throwing all caution to the side, he summoned up his aura and focused it on his right hand before punching the steel bar once more.

Screaming in both pain and frustration while realizing that there was nothing left for him to try, he rammed his head into the hard material in front of him, immediately ceasing his opposition and ending it all.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Author here! I'm recording a voiced read of Mew's Christmas Carol. If you've got a mic, a good voice to match and, of course, the will to voice one of the characters… Nothing serious, just that it's more fun to have different voices. Besides, my "miniature pink cat" impersonation's getting rusty.

Just send a PM and a voice sample! Recording a voice sample takes like 5 seconds if you use http://vocaroo.com/